"Selective Backlash... Silent During Kim Gunhee and Yoon Sukyeol Cases"
"Forgoing Appeal, a Move to Undermine the Morality of the Lee Jaemyung Administration"
Cho Kuk, former Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Innovation Party, argued that the internal backlash against the prosecution leadership's decision to forgo appealing the first-instance verdict for private developers in the Daejang-dong case is actually intended to secure the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights.
In an interview on MBC Radio's "Kwon Soonpyo's News High Kick" aired on the night of November 10, Cho responded to the host's question about the motivations behind the prosecution's backlash by saying, "Both the prosecution and Han Donghoon seem to be excited."
He stated, "Although the amendment to the Government Organization Act related to prosecution reform separated investigation and indictment rights, the remaining issue is granting the prosecution direct supplementary investigation rights." He emphasized, "This backlash is a calculated move to secure at least their supplementary investigation rights."
He continued, "The prosecution's backlash is selective," pointing out, "When the Kim Geonhee luxury bag case and the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case were dismissed without charges, not a single chief prosecutor protested." He also criticized, "When Judge Ji Guyoun released former President Yoon Sukyeol, the Prosecutor General gave up on appealing, but even then, the chief prosecutors remained silent."
Cho also addressed suspicions of intervention by the Ministry of Justice or the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, stating, "It is necessary to clarify on what grounds the acting Prosecutor General made the decision," and urged, "Both the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office must provide a clear explanation."
He said, "This is an opportunity for the prosecution to put an end to the excessive filing of appeals and further appeals," adding, "They must clarify the standards by which they decide to file or forgo appeals."
Regarding former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon's characterization of forgoing the appeal as "the prosecution's suicide," Cho dismissed it as "ridiculous," directly criticizing, "The people who have brought the prosecution to ruin are political prosecutors like Yoon Sukyeol and Han Donghoon."
Cho further added, "Since Han Donghoon has lost his presence to party leader Jang Donghyuk, it seems he is using this opportunity to create an issue for the party leadership race."
He also argued, "Nowhere in the guilty verdict for the Daejang-dong private developers does it mention responsibility on the part of President Lee Jaemyung," and claimed, "Framing the prosecution's decision to forgo the appeal as a move to protect President Lee is an attempt to undermine the morality of the Lee Jaemyung administration."
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