Prosecutors on Han Myeong-sook Case Fabrication Allegations: "Clear Falsehood"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The investigation team at the time strongly denied reports that the prosecution manipulated witness testimonies to falsely accuse the late Han Man-ho, former CEO of Hanshin Construction, of retracting his statements.

On the 25th, Newstapa reported an interview with inmate A, a colleague of Han. A is an acquaintance of Han and a different inmate from the two fellow inmates who testified in court during the trial.

At that time, the two fellow inmates testified in court that Han said, "It is true that I gave money to former Prime Minister Han, but since I received no benefits, I should retract my statement." This implied that Han changed his testimony without basis, initially admitting to giving money to former Prime Minister Han but later denying it in court due to personal interests.

On that day, Newstapa reported that the testimonies of the two inmates were fabricated to reverse Han’s retracted statement, which was unfavorable to the prosecution. It also reported circumstances suggesting that the prosecution had inmates copy pre-written statements by hand to train them. A told Newstapa that he refused to cooperate, saying he would make a conscience declaration in court, and ultimately did not appear in court.

In a statement issued to reporters under the name of the investigation team, the prosecution said the reports claiming that the prosecution manipulated the testimonies of Han’s fellow inmates and pressured them were "clear falsehoods that contradict objective facts."

The prosecution admitted contacting Han’s fellow inmates but said it was to investigate rumors that "Han had said he would reverse his testimony in court even before the retraction."

Regarding the claim that the prosecution created scenarios and rehearsed testimonies, they dismissed it as "completely absurd."

Regarding A’s claim that he was not sent to court out of fear of making a conscience declaration, the prosecution explained, "At the time, his testimony was exaggerated and absurd, making him an untrustworthy person, so he was not even called as a witness."

They added, "(A) is a person sentenced to over 20 years in prison for charges including fraud, embezzlement, and violations of the Capital Markets Act," emphasizing, "There is a need to thoroughly verify such one-sided statements before reporting."

They also denied other claims, such as pressuring A by threatening to investigate his son and nephew, and allegations that prosecutors and investigators were entertained with expensive meals by A, stating these reports were entirely untrue.

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