ARREST WARRANT FOR KIM REJECTED

[Anchor Lead]

Arrest warrant for Kim Man-bae, a major shareholder at Hwacheondaeyu, has been rejected. The investigation into the Daejang-dong land development scandal was getting pace after the arrest of the former chief of the Seongnam Development Corporation, but now it will likely hit snags.

[Pkg]

Prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for Kim Man-bae for bribery, breach of trust and embezzlement. After about two and a half hours of examination, the judges dismissed the request. They cited lack of grounds for Kim's arrest compared to the need to protect his defense rights. The prosecutors and Kim declined to comment. Stepping out of the detention center, Kim tried to avoid reporters. The investigation into the land development scandal, which was gaining speed following the arrest of former Seongnam Development Corporation chief Yoo Dong-kyu, will likely hit snags. Critics blame prosecutors for requesting an arrest warrant too soon. The prosecutors will likely request an arrest warrant for Kim again after further investigations. Kim and the prosecutors squared off during the arrest warrant examination. The prosecutors stressed the need to arrest Kim citing charges raised against him, whereas Kim denied all of them. When the prosecutors tried to play Jeong Young-hak's audio file for the judges, Kim strongly protested citing unverified admissibility of evidence. According to sources, the judges accepted Kim's claim and the file was not played. The prosecutors said Kim's 500 million won bribe was offered to Yoo Dong-kyu entirely in cash, changing their previous comments that it consisted of 100 million won in cash and 400 million won in checks.