High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency: "Did not receive notification of detention center chief's approval for hospital visit"
"No response from detention center despite request for investigative cooperation"
Ministry of Justice: "Informed the agency of President Yoon's external medical appointment"
The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency engaged in a dispute with the Ministry of Justice over whether to notify about President Yoon Seok-yeol's hospital visit.
Lights have been on since early dawn on the 16th at the Gwacheon Corruption Investigation Office building ahead of the second day of investigation of President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was arrested on charges of leading an insurrection. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju
On the 22nd, the agency stated in a press release, "At 5:11 PM yesterday, the Seoul Detention Center called the agency's investigator to inform that 'the suspect is going to receive medical treatment at a hospital.'
The agency explained, "There was no information received during the 5:11 PM phone call that the detention center chief had approved the suspect's hospital visit."
Since they were not informed beforehand about the scheduled hospital visit or the detention center chief's approval, the investigation team departed for the detention center according to the planned investigation time.
The agency claimed that although they sent a request for cooperation in the investigation to the Seoul Detention Center at 6 PM the previous day, they did not receive a response to the official document.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Justice refuted, stating, "Reports that the Seoul Detention Center did not inform about the president's external medical treatment despite the agency's request for cooperation are not true."
The Ministry stated that upon receiving the agency's official request for cooperation, they informed the agency's investigator that the president had an external medical appointment and that the return time was unknown.
The Ministry explained that after recognizing this fact, the agency came to the Seoul Detention Center, waited, and then withdrew.
Employees of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials are returning to the government complex of the Gyeonggi Gwacheon Office for Corruption Investigation after withdrawing from the detention center on the night of the 20th. Photo by Yonhap News
Meanwhile, the agency attempted a third compulsory summons of the president on the same day but failed due to continuous refusal to cooperate with the investigation.
From the morning, the agency visited the Seoul Detention Center and kept open the option of conducting an on-site investigation in the detention center's interrogation room, trying to persuade, but President Yoon's side reportedly maintained a stance of refusing all requests.
Considering that the Lunar New Year holiday begins next week and time is needed to prepare an extension application to the court, the agency is expected to send President Yoon's case to the prosecution as early as this week.
The agency views the first detention period as ending on the 28th, taking into account the time spent on the arrest review and the warrant substantive examination, and believes the case can be sent before then. The legal community suggests calculating the detention period more conservatively, leaving ample time before expiration to hand over the case to the prosecution.
Accordingly, the agency may send the case to the prosecution without additional face-to-face investigation of President Yoon. Since President Yoon is scheduled to appear at the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial on the 23rd, a face-to-face investigation is expected to be practically difficult.
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