Evidence of "Alibi Collusion" Also Uncovered
The special prosecutor team led by Lee Myunghyun, which is investigating allegations of external pressure on the Marine Corps Private Chae's death case, has uncovered evidence that Lee Jongho, former CEO of Black Pearl Invest and a close aide to First Lady Kim Keonhee, destroyed evidence by damaging his mobile phone. The team is currently investigating this matter.
Jung Minyoung, Special Prosecutor, stated at a regular briefing on the 20th, "We have confirmed that former CEO Lee, along with his associate A, destroyed evidence at Hangang Park on July 10, following a special prosecutor's search and seizure," adding, "Afterward, the special prosecutor's office searched A's residence and seized several mobile phones."
He continued, "A and his spouse are very close to former CEO Lee. During the search of their home, we witnessed the couple fabricating an alibi for Lee regarding his alleged violation of the Attorney-at-Law Act," and added, "The special prosecutor's office recognized A's suspected destruction of evidence, registered A as a suspect, and will continue to investigate the lobbying allegations related to Lee's attempt to avoid indictment."
The lobbying allegations concern suspicions that Lee, a close aide to First Lady Kim Keonhee, conspired with members of the 'Meotjaenghaebyung' group chat to exert influence over the investigation through the First Lady, in order to prevent Lim Sungkeun, the former division commander and Chae's commanding officer, from being punished.
According to the special prosecutor's team, on July 15, immediately after the search and seizure of his home, Lee destroyed the mobile phone he had been using together with A and threw it into a trash bin at Hangang Park. At that time, A reportedly stomped on Lee's mobile phone until it emitted smoke. Lee was also present at the scene. Afterward, A disposed of the broken phone in the trash bin. The special prosecutor's team confirmed and recorded the entire process on site. The team has secured the actual device and is currently working to recover its data.
The special prosecutor's office conducted a search and seizure of A's residence on July 24. During this process, they also discovered evidence that A had fabricated an alibi for Lee regarding his alleged violation of the Attorney-at-Law Act. The team stated that they witnessed A making notes on how to explain the circumstances of Lee's financial transactions and secured related documents. This memo was submitted to the Kim Keonhee special prosecutor team and was reportedly used as evidence during Lee's warrant review hearing.
Meanwhile, from the morning of the same day, the special prosecutor's team has been questioning Choi Jingyu, former commander of the 11th Battalion of the Marine Corps (Lieutenant Colonel), who led the underwater search operation for flood victims in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, at the time of Private Chae's death. He is being investigated as a suspect on charges including occupational negligence resulting in death.
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