Prosecution raids Gyeonggi office in Lee's corporate card probe
Posted December. 05, 2023 07:55,
Updated December. 05, 2023 07:55
Prosecution raids Gyeonggi office in Lee's corporate card probe.
December. 05, 2023 07:55.
lkj@donga.com.
The prosecution, investigating allegations of corporate card misuse by Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and former Governor of Gyeonggi Province, initiated a forcible investigation with a raid on the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on Monday.
The Public Prosecution Service of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office announced that on the same day, "About 40 investigators were sent to conduct searches at over ten locations, including the General Affairs and Secretary's offices at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office and restaurants suspected of misuse of the corporate card for personal purposes" The search warrant listed Lee, his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, and a former special appointment official, Bae, as suspects.
The prosecution plans to closely examine whether Lee was directly or indirectly involved in the misuse of the corporate card, based on the materials and witness statements obtained from the search.
Previously, the prosecution received the case from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission in October, after reviewing a report by Cho. In August, Cho had requested the commission to investigate Lee's instructions and tacit approval of misusing the corporate card at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office. The Commission suggested the likelihood that Lee knew about his spouse's misuse of the corporate card and handed the case to the prosecution.
Cho, a former grade seven public official at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, claimed that under Bae's instructions, he made about 10 payments with the office's corporate card for food, including beef and sushi at restaurants from April to October 2021, just before the presidential election, and delivered it to Kim's residence. Subsequently, Bae was indicted and received a 10-month suspended sentence with two years of probation for violating the Public Official Election Act and spreading false information in the first trial. The appeal is currently in progress. The police, who were investigating Bae then, searched the Gyeonggi Provincial Office but did not indict Lee, stating no link was found between him and the misuse of the corporate card.
Contrarily, at a book concert held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Cho emphatically stated, "Public officials cannot autonomously decide all aspects of corporate card usage. Since Lee Jae-myung approved and provided feedback, he is the main body behind all this.”
한국어
The prosecution, investigating allegations of corporate card misuse by Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and former Governor of Gyeonggi Province, initiated a forcible investigation with a raid on the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on Monday.
The Public Prosecution Service of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office announced that on the same day, "About 40 investigators were sent to conduct searches at over ten locations, including the General Affairs and Secretary's offices at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office and restaurants suspected of misuse of the corporate card for personal purposes" The search warrant listed Lee, his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, and a former special appointment official, Bae, as suspects.
The prosecution plans to closely examine whether Lee was directly or indirectly involved in the misuse of the corporate card, based on the materials and witness statements obtained from the search.
Previously, the prosecution received the case from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission in October, after reviewing a report by Cho. In August, Cho had requested the commission to investigate Lee's instructions and tacit approval of misusing the corporate card at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office. The Commission suggested the likelihood that Lee knew about his spouse's misuse of the corporate card and handed the case to the prosecution.
Cho, a former grade seven public official at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, claimed that under Bae's instructions, he made about 10 payments with the office's corporate card for food, including beef and sushi at restaurants from April to October 2021, just before the presidential election, and delivered it to Kim's residence. Subsequently, Bae was indicted and received a 10-month suspended sentence with two years of probation for violating the Public Official Election Act and spreading false information in the first trial. The appeal is currently in progress. The police, who were investigating Bae then, searched the Gyeonggi Provincial Office but did not indict Lee, stating no link was found between him and the misuse of the corporate card.
Contrarily, at a book concert held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, Cho emphatically stated, "Public officials cannot autonomously decide all aspects of corporate card usage. Since Lee Jae-myung approved and provided feedback, he is the main body behind all this.”
lkj@donga.com
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