The late Kim Mi-ri aware of the transfer of personnel, “Suspicion of Yoo Jae-soo, do not be sentenced first”

Former Justice Minister Cho Kook will address the court on the 3rd to attend an ongoing trial held at the Seoul Central District Court. [연합뉴스]

The prosecutor’s opinion opposed the conclusion of the suspicion of prosecution of Yoo Jae-soo by Mi-ri Kim (51), judge who was presiding over the case of former Justice Minister Cho Kook (55). In former Minister Cho’s court held at the Seoul Central District Court on the 3rd, Judge Kim asked prosecutors and lawyers whether to separate only “ prosecution suspect Yoo Jae-soo ” among Cho’s indictments, and if they convict him first.

Judge Kim, who has completed his three-year service at the Seoul Central District Court this year, is about to transfer staff in February next year. If the prosecution and lawyers agree, Judge Kim could sentence before the transfer of personnel only to the case of Yoo Jae-soo, where the hearing was the first among the allegations of former Minister Cho (suspicion of Jae-soo Yoo, corruption in the entrance exam, destruction of evidence, etc.).

However, on that day, when the prosecution protested that “if the separation sentence may affect the credibility of the sentence and the court’s sentence,” Judge Kim replied: “Please go there. intention to sentence him to separation. ” The prosecution stressed that all charges against Cho’s accusations must be heard and then consolidated and sentenced. Former Minister Cho was in a position where “it doesn’t matter at all”.

Former Deputy Mayor of Busan City Yoo Jae-soo appears at the deliberation on the court order held on the Seoul Eastern District Law last November. [연합뉴스]

Judge Kim also mentioned the possibility of a court change, saying: “Before the court change, it is difficult to proceed with a new case due to the flood of arrest expiration cases.” It implied the possibility of not taking up the case of former Minister Cho when the staff moves in February next year.

A serving deputy judge said: “Judge Kim is in a situation where he can leave the criminal department if he wants to meet the deadline of the Seoul Central District Law.” In that case, former Minister Cho’s case will be handled by a judge other than Judge Kim. There has not been a single hearing on the accusations of former Minister Cho’s entrance exam and private equity funds. The first trial sentence for former Minister Cho is expected to be possible only in the first half of next year.

The prosecutors who are in charge of upholding the prosecution of former Minister Cho have been in conflict with Judge Kim whenever the trial takes place. Deputy District Attorney Lee Jeong-seop, who investigated Judge Kim and Jae-soo Yoo’s allegations, publicly disagreed in court on the legal principles of the prosecution’s suspicion and the reference to the prosecution’s newspaper records before attending. to court. When the conflict was reported to the media, opposition parties criticized the court, asking Judge Kim to be a witness to the court’s state affairs audit.

Since this afternoon, Former Minister Cho sits on the witness stand and testifies of his position on the suspicion of prosecutor Jae-soo Yoo. Unlike the earlier trial of Professor Kyung-Shim Chung, who exercised his right to refuse to testify, Cho attended court that day and said, “I will answer faithfully as I know and remember what happened when I was in office at the Blue House.” .

Reporter Park Tae-in [email protected]