South Korean President Ousted Park Geun-hye Leaves Office of Prosecutor in Seoul, South Korea, March 22, 2017. (Xinhua / Lee Sang-ho / Photo)
SEOUL, March 30 (Xinhua) – A South Korean court on Thursday upheld the longest-running hearing here on an arrest warrant for former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached earlier this month.
For security reasons, Park drove to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office, a building next to the Seoul Central District Court, where she appealed to a judge for her innocence for almost nine hours of 10.30 local time.
The 65-year-old looked tired before the lengthy hearing, TV recordings showed as she was flanked by two female investigators to be presented in a black sedan by prosecutors.
The special investigative headquarters of the Seoul Prosecutor’s Office, in the wake of the probe into a corruption scandal embracing Park, said in a text message that Park will await the decision of the court at a temporary detention unit in the 10th floor of the office.
The decision is widely forecast to be made in the early morning hours Friday, as a number of charges were dropped on Park.
Prosecutors have already identified Park as an accomplice to her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, who is now in custody, for multiple charges, including bribery, abuse of authority, coercion and leaking confidential documents.
Park was grilled by prosecutors nine days ago because she had lost immunity from criminal prosecution while in office. She was permanently removed from office on March 10 in a historic statement to keep the imposition motion on her.
Attorneys sought to arrest Park earlier this week. If issued, Park would be the third South Korean former leader to be seized.
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