Investigation belatedly accelerates … ‘Kim Young-ran Act’ is applicable, but rare case

There is no problem with the military procedure … It is not easy to apply the “obstruction of public affairs by Seo”The demands of the opposition party’s third investigation team, President Yoon Suk-yeol, “Let’s be careful”

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae (pictured) The investigation into the suspicion of his son Seo-mo’s return from vacation is belatedly accelerated. The investigation report on the great sword is also known to be done in real time. The investigation into this case has been criticized for being slow enough to make a seizure record just seven months after being charged.

To summarize the coverage of the Kyunghyang Shinmun of the 13th, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office, which is investigating the case of Suh, the son of Minister Chu, obstructs the execution of public affairs, has recently produced a detailed report on the situation of the investigation in the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office.

An official from the investigation team said “normal communication is taking place.” There is generally no obligation to submit real-time reports to the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office on criminal matters from each district attorney’s office, but this case was expected to be reported regularly given the specificity and impact of the case involving the son of the minister in office. However, the reporting of the existing investigation team’s great swordsmanship to the prosecution staff last month was minimal, and it is known that the command of the great swordsman including Attorney General Yoon Seok-yeol at that time did not actively ordered the investigation report.

In connection with this case, the current Dongbu District Prosecutor’s Office reported only once in July, the “plan” for the seizure and search of Samsung Medical Center. The investigation team did not separately report to the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office after seizing and searching the Samsung Medical Center, which had Seo’s medical records last month. It was reported that Yun was not informed of the seizure and search, as the Supreme Swordsman Detective Department was not informed. The seizure and search is part of the dispute over the method between the great sword and the investigation team.

At that time, the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office issued an opinion that ‘takes the form of a voluntary submission in which the parties receive medical records and hand them over’, but the Dongbu District Prosecutor’s Office requested a voluntary submission to the hospital, and when the hospital did not respond, it forced a search for seizure.

The investigation of this case was conducted only in June, five months after the case was assigned, and the investigation was conducted by important reference personnel, such as service soldiers at the time Seo’s report was received about her return. The speed of the investigation has been criticized for slow, even considering that the February-April reference staff investigation was limited due to the Corona 19 incident.

It is interpreted that within the prosecution, both the existing investigation team and the command of the great swordsmen were weak in the investigative will. “This case, apart from the political controversy, is difficult to judge as a crime,” said executive prosecutor A. “It’s like leaving a non-criminal case.” Currently, there are at least 16 cases in which Minister Chu has been charged, in addition to his son. In the legal community, the only suspicion that can be applied is the violation of the Kim Young-ran Act (Law of Prohibition of Solicitation and Receipt of Unfair Money, etc.) regarding the extension of holidays, the deployment of troops and the selection of interpreters.

The Kim Young-ran Act, which took effect for the fourth year this year, has an unusual precedent and may be a burden on the investigation team.

Seo’s accusations of ‘obstruction of the execution of public affairs’ are not easy to enforce as the victims, the military, revealed that there was no problem with the procedure. Minister Chu’s alleged abuse of authority against an aide who is suspected of communicating with the army because of his son’s problem depends on whether a crime is established in the aide’s statement in the future. “The investigation team may have lacked the guts to deal with the prosecution or prosecution quickly,” said Prosecutor B at the executive level.

Political circles centered on the opposition party demand a “third investigation team” day after day, but Yoon maintains a cautious stance that “I will first observe the investigation of the Eastern District Attorney’s Office.”

It compares with the decision to convene an investigative advisory group for a case just after the first seizure and search in April, which is the same case the criminal department issued a public order to “ produce a balanced investigation. ” Prosecutor C said: “It may have been difficult to order Minister Chu’s case because the authority to direct the investigation was private in July when Yoon first reported on the case,” and “it may be another evasion of responsibility not to actively direct the investigation. investigation. There is, ”he said.