CIO criticized for failures

[Anchor]

Investigating high-ranking officials without sanctuary and resolving the prosecution's monopoly on indictments.

With this motto, the independent investigation agency, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, opened its doors in 2021.

Now entering its fourth year of full operation, even with a leadership change, the CIO's performance has been lackluster.

In four years, the CIO has prosecuted only five cases, with not a single conviction.

Until last month, before the arrest warrant for key emergency martial law suspect Commander Moon Sang-ho was issued, all its requested warrants had been dismissed.

Even the investigation into President Yoon’s insurrection charges, which it confidently took on, has been criticized for a lack of will, preparation, and accountability, with some questioning the very purpose of the CIO’s existence.

Reporter Kang Pu-reun.

[Report]

Oh Dong-woon, the head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, cited a lack of personnel as one of the reasons for the failure to execute the arrest warrant.

[Oh Dong-woon/Head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials/Jan. 7/Legislative Judiciary Committee: "In order for us to enter and achieve our proper objectives, we need to have a numerical advantage..."]

In reality, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials has a quota of 25 prosecutors, but due to ongoing resignations, only 14 remain.

Among these, only 2 out of the 7 chief prosecutors who are supposed to lead the investigations are left.

The appointment of 3 prosecutors was in progress but was delayed for nearly three months and ultimately halted due to President Yoon's suspension from duty.

The lack of investigative capacity is also a problem.

In fact, the prosecution, which has been conducting similar investigations, has consecutively arrested and indicted key figures, and has presented an 83-page indictment targeting President Yoon, who is accused of being the leader of the insurrection.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials received the case from the prosecution regarding President Yoon but ultimately failed to execute the arrest warrant.

Confusion was also evident when they stated they would delegate the execution of the warrant to the police but later retracted that decision.

Some have pointed to flaws in the CIO Act as a cause of these investigative struggles.

Although the president is within the CIO's investigative scope, the crimes the CIO is authorized to investigate exclude insurrection and foreign exchange offenses.

As President Yoon’s side raised issues about the CIO’s authority, the agency has been mired in debates over its jurisdiction, leaving it unable to conduct investigations or secure custody of suspects.

This is KBS News, Kang Pu-reun.