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“Only if you comply with the laws and regulations, you just have to verify it … It takes a month or two to start over.”
‘Suspicion of damaging the impartiality of the investigation’ still … “The controversy remains related even to the conclusions that are ‘correct'”
The prosecution is belatedly accelerating the investigation into the suspicion of a ‘preferential vacation’ while the 27-year-old son of the Minister of Justice, Chu Mi-ae, served as a KATUSA soldier, and the focus is on whether the investigation will be to be completed before the Chuseok holiday.
With widespread suspicions and intensifying battles between opposition parties, it is noteworthy whether the prosecution will be able to reach a conclusion as soon as possible through a swift investigation.
According to law enforcement officials on the 12th, the first division of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office (Prosecutor Deok-Gon Kim) investigating the case recently received reports of Lieutenant Colonel A’s return from rehabilitation, who was the regional commander of the military unit where Seo served, and Captain B and Seo, who were support officers at the time. Called C on guard and investigated.
In June 2017, the prosecution confirmed the facts of the fact that Mr. Seo took additional vacation days while extending sick leave in June 2017, and allegations that there was an external request or pressure from Minister Chu (the then a member of the National Assembly) in the process.
The prosecution began the investigation in January this year, but has been criticized for delaying investigations, such as calling Captain B and Mr. C as references and investigating them only half a year later in June. There were also observations that the prosecution was only handling the case because it was related to the son of the minister of Justice in office.
Amid criticism that it is an “investigation from the north of the country”, the prosecution is showing an attempt to increase the speed and concentration of the investigation by increasing the number of investigating prosecutors.
The prosecution also drew on additional references, such as an aide to Congressman Chu, who was designated as the person who called Seo’s unit regarding the vacation extension at the time, and a policy advisor to the former defense minister. Song Young-moo, who was suspected of applying for the selection of performers for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. We plan to continue the investigation.
The prosecution is expected to decide whether to prosecute the prosecution after organizing the reference statements and analyzing the data. The prosecution is reportedly examining Suh’s preferential license claims, as well as allegations raised, such as the placement of her own troops and applications in the process of selecting interpreters for the Winter Olympics.
In the legal community, the view prevails that the case is not complicated enough to take eight months to investigate. Some observers say it can end before or after the Chuseok holiday if the usual procedure is followed.
“There is no reason for the investigation to go after Chuseok,” said Mr. A, who was previously the head of the branch, and said: “It is only necessary to check whether the situation of Mr. Seo’s return in June 2017 was justified in accordance with laws and regulations. “
Seocho-dong’s attorney B, who was also a prosecutor, said: “It is difficult to complete all the investigations before Chuseok, but I hope they will be completed in about a month.”
Lawyer C, who served as a senior prosecutor, said: “There are three or four issues in this case, such as withdrawal from military affairs and violation of the prohibition of applications law, and it is not a complicated and difficult case.” , said. “Even if we start right from the beginning, it will be over in a month or two.” And analyzed.
The fact that it is a matter of intense public interest to the extent that it affects the approval ratings of the president and the ruling party, which is a burden for the government and prosecutors, is a precedent that supports the observation that the prosecution should slow down the investigation.
Lawyer B said: “If the investigation is prolonged, it will be a burden on both the Justice Ministry and the prosecution, and the public will be in a hurry while attention is focused.” Attorney C said: “Although it has been brought to the public’s attention, the issue of military service is a matter directly related to the issue of fairness that everyone considers important along with the entrance exams and employment, so the team research has no choice but to focus and accelerate. “
However, as there are suspicions that the impartiality of the investigation has been compromised, there are also concerns that full trust will be difficult to gain no matter when and what results the prosecution produces. This is why some people continue to speak of an alternative to entrusting the investigation to a special prosecutor or establishing a special investigation team to guarantee the fairness and independence of the investigation.
In the investigation process of Captain A, who was the support officer of the unit where Mr. Seo worked, as a reference last June, the Dongbu District Prosecutor’s Office made a statement in which he said: “I received a phone call on the extension of the vacation of a person who presented himself as an assistant to Congressman Chu. ” It was received, but controversy arose after it emerged that the statement was omitted from the referenced document.
Lawyer C was concerned that “even if the prosecution reaches a ‘correct’ conclusion, there is a possibility that the controversy will not end,” citing the fact that Kim Gwan-jeong is evaluated as the so-called ‘Chumi-ae line’ .
Lawyer B also said: “The fact that the assistant’s statement is missing is one of the key issues,” he said. “Since the investigation team is investigating in a scrappy state, it is difficult to escape the dispute for justice, whatever the outcome.”
Attorney A said: “The essence of this case is a power-type corruption case, and I think there was pressure from politicians in the investigative process.” “You have to declare it.”
(Yunhap news)
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