To Strengthen Investigation On Corruption Activities Of Politicians And Public Officials

The Prosecution has decided to establish a `Special Investigation Prosecutors Office` (SIPO) under the Supreme Prosecutors Office to independently investigate the politically sensitive issues. The Prosecution has also decided to establish the `remonstration rights` that can reject the unreasonable command from the superior to strengthen the independence of the individual investigation prosecutors. Reform of the Criminal Procedure Code to guarantee the participation of lawyer in the process of the prosecutor¡¯s investigation of the suspect from the beginning, is to be put forward by the Prosecution.

Ministry of Justice and the Prosecution decided on these issues at the National Superintendent Prosecutors Meeting, presided by the Minister of Justice Choi Kyung-Won, yesterday in the meeting room on the 15th floor of the Supreme Prosecutors Office building, to ensure the Prosecution¡¯s political neutrality and to recover the trust.

The SIPO is reported to be in charge of politically sensitive issues, such as the corruption of the politician and high-ranking government officials, a grave economic incident, and the internal corruption along with the cases that specially require the fairness of the investigation. The SIPO is to run the personnel and the budget separate from the Supreme Prosecutors Office to ensure the political neutrality and the fairness of the investigation. One supreme prosecutor and one superintendent prosecutor, whose two-year terms of office are secured, will be placed in the SIPO. Ministry of Justice and the Prosecution have decided to form and run a `Promotion and Planning Group` in order to establish the SIPO, along with the decision to put forward the reform of the Prosecutors Office Law.

Ministry of Justice and the Prosecution has also decided to establish the `remonstration rights` against the unreasonable command from the superior. An official of the Ministry of Justice said that ``it is not to abolish the regulation in which the `superior commands and the junior obeys`, which is the core principle of the unity of the prosecutors. The `remonstration rights` is to complement this principle.`` Ministry of Justice and the Prosecution have decided to proceed with the Reform of the Criminal Procedure Code to the direction that guarantees the participation of lawyer in the process of the prosecutor¡¯s investigation of the suspect from the beginning, and that expands the request for an arbitration on the crime of duty by the government officials.

Ministry of Justice plans to invite the outsiders in the Prosecution Personnel Committee to examine important personnel policies in order to ensure the objectivity and transparency in the personnel management. An official of the Supreme Prosecutors Office said that ``in order to recover the trust by ensuring the Prosecution¡¯s political neutrality and to increase the work efficiency, we will renovate the structure of the prosecution by synthesizing opinions from the various sectors of the society, such as ` Promotion Committee for the Reform of the Judiciary Law` and by conducting researches.`` The Prosecution has decide to take strict measures on the corruption related offenses, such as illegal violence derived from a group selfishness, corruption of the public officials and the leaders of the society. A total number of 136 people, including Minister Choi, the Prosecutor General Shin Seng-Nam, officials of the Supreme Prosecutors Office, nations¡¯ high public prosecutors, district prosecutors, and officials of the Ministry of Justice, participated in the meeting.

Lee Soo-Hyung sooh@donga.com