'Yoo Jae-su Alleged Inspection Cover-up' Cho Kuk Indicted Without Detention...33 Days After First Summons (2nd Report)

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk leaving Seoul Eastern Detention Center in Songpa-gu and heading to his car after his arrest warrant was dismissed on the morning of the 27th of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The prosecution investigating the allegations of the Blue House's cover-up of Yoo Jae-soo's inspection has indicted former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk (then Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs).

The Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office announced on the 17th that it had non-detained indicted former Minister Cho at the Seoul Central District Court on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

Former Minister Cho is accused of stopping the inspection by the Special Inspection Team of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Office at the end of 2017, despite having identified that Yoo Jae-soo, former Deputy Mayor of Busan for Economic Affairs (then Director General of Financial Policy Bureau at the Financial Services Commission), had received monetary entertainment and other benefits (abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights). He is also accused of requesting the Financial Services Commission to process Yoo's resignation without a separate fact-finding investigation.

The prosecution's indictment came 33 days after summoning former Minister Cho for the first time on the 16th of last month. The prosecution requested a pre-trial detention warrant on the 23rd of last month, but the court dismissed it.

At that time, Judge Kwon Deok-jin, in charge of warrants at the Seoul Eastern District Court, stated, "As a result of former Minister Cho abusing his authority to stop the inspection of Yoo Jae-soo, not only was the rule of law, which is the foundation of society, set back, but there was also a circumstance that hindered the fair exercise of state functions," but judged that "there is no concern of evidence destruction."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.