Ministry of Justice Transfers Kim Kyung-rok's Complaint to Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Division, Claiming "Jo Guk Investigation Team Pressured Confession"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The complaint filed by Kim Kyung-rok, a private banker (PB) at a securities firm who managed the assets of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and his wife, was transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Inspection Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on the 9th.

With the Ministry of Justice handing over the complaint case to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the Inspection Department is expected to review the legality of the investigation based on the contents of the complaint and then decide whether to conduct an inspection. If the Inspection Department decides to proceed with an inspection, it may be conducted separately from the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office inspection case or handed over to the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office.

Earlier, in August 2019, as the investigation into the private equity fund allegations intensified, Kim was indicted on charges of hiding hard drives from the personal computer at the home of former Dongyang University professor Jung Kyung-shim, wife of former Minister Cho, under her instructions (evidence concealment), and received a suspended sentence confirmed in July this year.

Kim submitted a complaint to the National Petition Board in August, claiming that he was coerced by the investigation team during the investigation process to confess to the crime, and that he was unfairly treated, losing his job due to being involved in the conflict between former Minister Cho and the prosecution.

The Ministry of Justice's Inspection Officer, who received the complaint, recently sent an official letter to the trial division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office requesting investigation records related to the confirmed verdicts involving former Minister Cho's family to ascertain the facts.

Currently, the inspection of the investigation team handling former Minister Cho is also underway at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office.

The Inspection Department of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office initiated an inspection based on a complaint that the past investigation team only conducted investigations related to former Minister Cho while neglecting the investigation of Ikseong, the first investment company of the private equity fund, during the probe into the private equity fund allegations involving former Minister Cho's family.

Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute who served as head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office during the investigation of former Minister Cho's family, stated, "I have never seen such blatant political investigations and political inspections. Their shamelessness is astonishing."

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