DISPUTE CONTINUES OVER LEE’S INDICTMENT

[Anchor Lead]

Lee Sung-yoon, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, was indicted Wednesday over allegations that he exercised undue influence in 2019 to stop an investigation into the alleged illegal exit ban imposed on the former scandal-hit Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui. The prosecution’s indictment document also contains circumstantial evidence pointing to former presidential secretary Cho Kuk’s possible involvement in the exit ban case as well. Cho is accused of using his influence to stop an investigation into prosecutor Lee Kyu-won who was suspected at the time of drafting falsified papers to enforce the vice minister’s exit ban. But Cho denies the allegations.

[Pkg]

The bill of indictment on Seoul prosecution chief Lee Sung-yoon shows that related discussions also took place at the office of senior presidential secretary for civil affairs during the time the prosecution’s Anyang branch in Suwon was looking into the exit ban scandal. The document mentions that presidential aide Lee Kwang-cheol told senior secretary Cho Kuk about how prosecutor Lee Kyu-won who allegedly wrote the exit ban papers will also be under investigation. The presidential aide reportedly said that prosecutor Lee is about to go abroad to pursue his studies but was subject to a probe because the prosecution disliked him, and the official went on to ask Cho Kuk to spare him from the investigation. Prosecutors believe that Cho relayed these same words to then-senior Justice Ministry official Yoon Dae-jin who in turn conveyed the request to the head of the prosecution’s Anyang branch that was investigating the alleged illegal exit ban. Following the fresh allegations, Cho denied the charges in a social media post saying that he never exerted any kind of pressure or issued orders related to the case. Prosecutors also believe the indicted Lee Sung-yoon called the top brass of the Anyang branch and told them that the urgent travel ban against the vice minister had been discussed between the Supreme Prosecutors Office and the Justice Ministry, and thereby exerting pressure to stop the investigation. Prosecutors also note that allegations surrounding Lee should have been reported to Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il at the time but that process was deliberately omitted. An investigation is ongoing into related figures including presidential aide Lee Kwang-cheol. However cases regarding former Justice Ministry official Yoon Dae-jin and former head of the prosecution’s Anyang branch Lee Hyeon-cheol have been transferred to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in accordance with the CIO law. The CIO will now determine how to handle the case in consideration of what is fair.