Timing for Lee Seong-yoon Investigation Deliberation Committee May Be Decided as Early as Today... Attention on Whether the Chief Prosecutor Candidate Recommendation Committee Will Convene Before the 29th

Yang Chang-soo, former Supreme Court Justice, serving as the chairman of the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The timing for holding the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee (PIDC) regarding the alleged ‘investigation interference’ case involving Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, is expected to be decided as early as the 26th.

If the PIDC for Chief Prosecutor Lee’s case, who is one of the leading candidates for the next Prosecutor General, is held before the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee (Recommendation Committee) scheduled for the 29th, its outcome could significantly influence the recommendation of candidates for Prosecutor General, drawing considerable attention.

The timing of convening the PIDC is decided by the PIDC itself. When the Prosecutor General decides to convene the PIDC, a special committee is formed to deliberate on the agenda.

Typically, after the PIDC chairman sets the deliberation date, 15 committee members who can attend on the day are randomly selected as members of the special committee. Currently, the PIDC chairman is former Supreme Court Justice Yang Chang-soo.

Usually, since time is needed for selecting special committee members and coordinating schedules, the special committee meeting is held about two weeks after the PIDC convening is decided.

However, in this case, considering that the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office’s Citizen Committee takes time to decide whether to refer the matter to the PIDC following Chief Prosecutor Lee’s request for convening the PIDC, Suwon High Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Oh In-seo directly requested Acting Prosecutor General Cho Nam-gwan to convene the PIDC.

Furthermore, Acting Prosecutor General Cho announced on the 23rd, the day after Chief Prosecutor Oh’s request, that “considering the suspect’s status, public interest, and urgency of the matter, I have accepted the Suwon High Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor’s request and decided to convene the PIDC,” adding, “The date of the committee meeting will be promptly decided by the committee following relevant procedures,” so the possibility of the PIDC being convened before the Recommendation Committee on the 29th cannot be ruled out.

Meanwhile, the PIDC special committee proceedings are held privately (Article 15 of the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee Operation Guidelines), and the special committee can autonomously decide whether and when to disclose its deliberation opinions (Article 18 of the guidelines).

The PIDC can also decide whether to disclose the timing of its convening; in previous high-profile cases, the official convening date was not publicly announced. However, given the public interest and importance of this case, the convening date may be disclosed once confirmed.

If the PIDC convening is scheduled after the Recommendation Committee, the recommendation members at the meeting on the 29th may feel less burden in including Chief Prosecutor Lee among the 3 to 4 candidates recommended to the Minister.

There is also a view that Chief Prosecutor Lee’s simultaneous request for convening both the PIDC and the Expert Investigation Advisory Panel was an unavoidable choice to avoid being indicted before the Recommendation Committee meeting.

If the PIDC is held before the Recommendation Committee, the situation is expected to change significantly depending on the results.

The special committee can deliberate if at least 10 of the 15 members, excluding the chairman, attend.

In this case involving Chief Prosecutor Lee, the special committee members will review the investigation team’s and Lee’s side’s written opinions and statements received on the day of deliberation to decide on ‘whether to indict’ and ‘whether to continue the investigation’ regarding Lee.

If opinions among members are not unanimous, a decision is made by a majority vote of the attending members. The PIDC’s deliberation results are recorded in a deliberation opinion document and sent to the lead prosecutor of the case, but according to Article 19 of the related guidelines, the deliberation’s effect is only advisory, stating that “the lead prosecutor shall respect the deliberation opinions of the special committee.”

Although the PIDC’s decisions are not binding, if the PIDC issues an opinion to ‘indict’ or ‘continue investigation’ against Chief Prosecutor Lee before the Recommendation Committee, it is expected to be difficult for the recommendation members to recommend Lee as a candidate for Prosecutor General.

Conversely, if the Recommendation Committee issues an opinion of ‘non-indictment’ or ‘investigation suspension,’ the likelihood of Lee being recommended as a candidate for Prosecutor General may relatively increase.

The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office investigation team handling Chief Prosecutor Lee’s case can independently decide whether to indict without being bound by the PIDC’s recommendation, but if Lee is recommended as a candidate or appointed as the final candidate for Prosecutor General, the team will inevitably feel considerable pressure regarding indictment.

Meanwhile, the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, investigating the case related to Kim Hak-ui’s travel ban, summoned Lee Kwang-chul, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, for questioning on the 24th. Lee is suspected of being involved in the illegal travel ban process against former Vice Minister Kim by introducing Prosecutor Lee Gyu-won to Cha Gyu-geun, head of the Immigration and Foreign Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Justice, in March 2019 while serving as a senior administrative officer in the Blue House Civil Affairs Office.

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