The Dull Edge of the Prosecutor's Sword in Front of the Passport... Delay in 'Optimus·Lime' Lobby Investigation

No Investigation Progress Despite 'Statements and Evidence' on Optimus Lobby
Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Also Suspected of Omitting Report to Supreme Prosecutors' Office
Summons Issued to Ki Dong-min and Others Over Lime Lobby Allegations

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seocho-dong, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] It is expected to cause a stir as allegations have been raised that the prosecution did not launch a full-scale investigation despite securing evidence and testimonies of lobbying by Optimus Asset Management, which was accused of fund fraud sales.

In particular, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office investigation team handling this case has been suspected of conducting the investigation passively, such as omitting related testimonies from the records or failing to properly report them to the Prosecutor General.

According to the legal community on the 8th, the Central District Prosecutors' Office investigation team secured an internal document titled "Fund Defect Cure" from Yoon, a lawyer and inside director of Optimus, who was indicted as an accomplice in the fund fraud case.

This document, dated May 10, reportedly contains information that government and ruling party figures participated as project beneficiaries, and expresses concerns that if issues arise due to their involvement in the fund’s establishment and operation, it could escalate into a gate (power-related corruption) scandal.

Additionally, during the search and seizure process, the investigation team reportedly obtained a document listing about 20 names and positions suspected to be a lobbying list, including five Blue House officials, five members of the National Assembly, three ruling party figures, and government and media personnel. Besides physical evidence, the team also secured testimony from Kim Jae-hyun, CEO of Optimus, stating that he provided 20 million won to Yoon, a former director of the Financial Supervisory Service, in April 2018.

However, regarding the lack of progress in the prosecution’s investigation, there are criticisms that the prosecution, burdened by investigating ruling party figures, is not showing proper will.

In particular, after Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae curtailed Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol’s influence through organizational restructuring and personnel changes, there is suspicion that sensitive investigation situations are not being properly reported to the Prosecutor General or that his investigative directives are not clearly conveyed to the frontline investigation teams.

Since July, when discord arose between Prosecutor General Yoon and Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Sung-yoon over the "media collusion" case investigation, the weekly reports, which had been replaced by written reports, were completely abolished, and frontline executives were instructed to report major case investigation statuses to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in writing.

In this regard, a prosecution official said, "I understand that the Optimus case is being reported to and directed by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Anti-Corruption Department on an ongoing basis."

However, regarding whether the lobbying-related testimonies of Optimus affiliates recently revealed in the media were reported to Prosecutor General Yoon, the official replied, "It is difficult to confirm because it is unclear whether the reported content is entirely factual or part of the investigation."

Regarding the suspicion of omission in the records, the official drew a line, saying, "I understand that all matters that are meaningful to the investigation and require evidentiary power are recorded in the investigation records."

The Optimus case, which had been handled by the Central District Prosecutors’ Office Investigation Division 1, was reassigned to the Economic Crime Criminal Division following the prosecution personnel reshuffle last month. Prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the same office are also supporting the investigation.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, which is investigating another asset management company 'Lime' where lobbying allegations involving government and ruling party figures were raised, recently notified four current and former ruling party politicians, including Democratic Party lawmaker Ki Dong-min, who is accused of receiving lobbying from Kim Bong-hyun, former chairman of Star Mobility and the 'money master' behind Lime, to appear for questioning.

Although the prosecution is belatedly conducting summons investigations and shaping the investigation, there is skepticism about whether the substance of the lobbying will be clarified, considering the timing and method of the investigation.

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