The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials Collects Prosecution Committee Opinions Before Concluding Investigation on Cho Hee-yeon

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (HCIA) will seek opinions from external experts before making a final conclusion on the special recruitment allegations against Cho Hee-yeon, the Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

According to the legal community on the 16th, the HCIA is considering submitting the case of Superintendent Cho to the Prosecution Deliberation Committee for review.

The Prosecution Deliberation Committee is an advisory body that reviews and deliberates on the overall prosecution functions of the HCIA. It was established according to internal guidelines enacted last April. It consists of more than 10 external members, and the list of members is kept confidential to ensure independent advice.

The HCIA plans to convene a meeting just before concluding the investigation to deliberate on whether to request prosecution against Superintendent Cho. According to internal guidelines, HCIA prosecutors are required to 'respect' the advisory results, but they are not obligated to follow the committee's conclusions exactly.

However, since the committee is composed of experts from the legal, academic, and media fields directly appointed by the head of the agency, the opinions of the Prosecution Deliberation Committee may influence the investigation's conclusion.

Before the Prosecution Deliberation Committee convenes, the HCIA has decided to form a 'Red Team' consisting of prosecutors who did not directly participate in the investigation to re-examine the investigation of Superintendent Cho. These uninvolved prosecutors will review the legal aspects of the case and check whether there were any shortcomings in the investigation.

In April, the HCIA launched an investigation by filing charges against Superintendent Cho on suspicion of exerting undue pressure during the special recruitment process of five dismissed teachers, including those from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo), on charges of abuse of authority and violation of the State Public Officials Act. This is the first case directly investigated by the HCIA since its establishment.

Superintendent Cho denied all allegations during his summons last month and in a recently submitted 33-page statement of opinion.

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