On November 17, the presidential office announced that President Lee Jaemyung has appointed Ahn Kwonsub, Managing Partner at Daeryun Law Firm, as the standing special prosecutor to investigate the 'official banknote band disposal allegations' and the 'Coupang severance pay non-indictment pressure allegations.'
Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the presidential office, stated in a written briefing that President Lee made this decision on November 16. On November 14, the Standing Special Prosecutor Recommendation Committee had nominated Park Kyungchun and Ahn Kwonsub as candidates.
With President Lee exercising his appointment authority, the standing special prosecutor will be launched immediately without the possibility of a veto. The special prosecutor's team will include two assistant special prosecutors and five dispatched prosecutors, and the investigation may last for up to 90 days.
The official banknote band loss case refers to an incident in December of last year, in which the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office confiscated 165 million won from the home of Jeon Seongbae, also known as Geonjin Bopsa, and the band wrapped around 50 million won disappeared during the evidence preservation process. The band contained the inspection date and the name of the person in charge, leading to controversy that key evidence had been destroyed.
The Coupang severance pay non-indictment pressure allegations involve claims that Eom Heejun, a prosecutor at the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office, pressured prosecutor Moon Jiseok, who was handling the unpaid severance pay case at Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS) in April of this year, to issue a non-indictment decision.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
