On April 28, police announced that they had referred the drug case involving the son of Lee Cheolgyu, a member of the People Power Party, to the prosecution.
Lee Cheolgyu, a member of the People Power Party, is speaking at the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News
At a regular press briefing that day, a police official stated, "Four suspects have been booked, and this morning, they were referred to the prosecution. Two were referred under detention, and two without detention."
On April 23, Lee Jeongjae, a judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Lee after a pretrial detention hearing on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act involving cannabis. An arrest warrant was also issued for Mr. Jeong, who is accused of selling drugs to Mr. Lee, on the grounds that there was a risk of flight.
Mr. Lee was apprehended in October last year on suspicion of attempting, but failing, to retrieve liquid cannabis buried in a flower bed in a residential area of Seocho-gu, Seoul, using the so-called "throwing" method, while riding in a rental car with his wife and another individual.
The Seocho Police Station received a report from the National Forensic Service indicating a positive result for cannabis in Mr. Lee's hair and subsequently applied for an arrest warrant on April 18. It is known that Mr. Lee was previously referred to the prosecution on cannabis charges but was not indicted.
The police stated that Mr. Lee's wife also tested positive for cannabis, but they did not apply for a warrant, judging the evidence against her to be insufficient. The other passenger in the rental car was the subject of an arrest warrant request, but the court dismissed it.
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