It was confirmed on the 18th that the prosecution has begun reviewing a complaint alleging that Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, misused party state subsidies.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office recently assigned the case, in which the civic group Judicial Justice Citizens' Action (Sasaehaeng) accused Lee of violating the Political Funds Act, the Subsidy Management Act, and breach of trust in the course of duty, to the Public Investigation Division 2.
The case in which Heo Eun-ah, former leader of the Reform New Party, also accused Lee, Cheon Ha-ram, acting party leader, and Lee Ju-young of breach of trust in the course of duty on similar grounds was assigned to the same division.
The main content of the complaint is that Lee, during his tenure as party leader, entrusted a website service contract to a specific individual and paid an exorbitant amount, thereby using party funds for personal purposes.
The complaint also includes an allegation that Lee, while serving as head of the party-affiliated Innovation Research Institute, violated public bidding regulations and commissioned research services worth approximately 55 million won to a politically favorable consultant.
After reviewing the complaint and related materials, the prosecution plans to decide whether to investigate the case directly or refer it to the police or other agencies.
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