Prosecutors Request Kim Man-bae's Entry Records from Supreme Court... Investigation into Trial Manipulation Allegations

Kim Man-bae, the key figure in the preferential treatment allegations related to the Daejang-dong development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, is appearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 14th to undergo a pre-arrest detention hearing. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The prosecution has requested the Supreme Court to provide access records of Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management (Hwacheon Daeyu), in connection with the investigation of former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il, who was accused of 'trial trading' allegations.

According to the legal community on the 14th, the dedicated investigation team of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Tae-hoon) recently sent a cooperation letter to the Court Administration Office requesting materials necessary for the investigation into former Justice Kwon's trial trading allegations. Among the requested materials were reportedly Kim's Supreme Court entry times and records of passing through entry gates. The Court Administration Office has not yet responded to this request. On the same day, Lee Jung-soo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, appeared at the National Assembly audit and stated, "We are conducting an investigation related to former Justice Kwon's allegations and are proceeding with procedures with the Court Administration Office regarding the materials."

Earlier, on the 12th, the People Power Party filed a complaint against former Justice Kwon for fraud, bribery, violations of the Public Officials Ethics Act, and the Attorney-at-Law Act, related to the acquittal verdict in the case of Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's violation of the Public Official Election Act. They alleged that former Justice Kwon met several times with Kim Man-bae, the largest shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, before and after the Supreme Court ruling on candidate Lee, and that there was some form of deal during the process of Kim being recruited as an advisor to Hwacheon Daeyu, raising so-called 'trial trading' suspicions.

Kim, who previously served as the head of the economic legal team, visited the Supreme Court a total of nine times from July 16, 2019, to August 21 of last year, and on eight of those occasions, he listed the destination as 'Justice Kwon Soon-il's office.' Kim's side explained, "For convenience, we wrote 'visit to Justice Kwon Soon-il,' but in reality, we went to the Supreme Court's on-site barbershop," but the Supreme Court rebutted, stating, "The staff in charge of Supreme Court entry procedures generally confirm the visitor's scheduled visit to the targeted justice's office before proceeding with entry procedures."

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