Ministry of Justice Disciplinary Actions Against Three Prosecutors for Drunk Driving and Negligence of Duty

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[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The Ministry of Justice has taken disciplinary actions against prosecutors who damaged the dignity of their office by violating traffic laws or failing to diligently comply with police investigation directives.

According to the legal community on the 6th, the Ministry of Justice recently held a Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee meeting and issued reprimands and salary reductions to three prosecutors, including Prosecutor A. The reasons cited were damage to the dignity of the prosecutor's office and violation of the duty of diligence.

Prosecutor A of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office was reprimanded on the 19th of last month after being caught driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.095%, which is at the level warranting license revocation, in January of last year.

Prosecutor B of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office was reprimanded on the 19th of last month after causing an accident by ignoring a traffic signal and making a left turn at an intersection in Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province, in July of last year, colliding with a motorcycle.

Prosecutor C of the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office received a one-month salary reduction on the 31st of last month for negligence in duty. Prosecutor C handled a case transferred by a police station in Seoul in June 2017 and accepted the opinion written by the judicial police officer as is, resulting in a decision of no charges against the suspect. The Ministry of Justice judged that Prosecutor C violated the duty of diligence, citing that supplementary investigation or investigation guidance was necessary during the handling of this case, but no separate investigation was conducted.

Under the Prosecutor Disciplinary Act, prosecutors may be disciplined if they violate their official duties, neglect their duties, or engage in conduct that damages the dignity or reputation of prosecutors. Types of disciplinary actions include dismissal, removal, suspension, salary reduction, and reprimand.

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