Investigation Team on Cho Kuk: "Ministry of Justice's Request for Investigation Records is Abuse of Power Violating Political Neutrality"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution investigation team that investigated the case related to former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's family criticized the Ministry of Justice's Inspection Office for requesting the investigation records, calling it a "serious abuse of authority."

According to the legal community on the 15th, the prosecution investigation team that investigated the case involving former Minister Cho posted a message titled "Investigation Team's Position on the Ministry of Justice Inspection Officer's Request for Records Related to Former Minister Cho Kuk" on the prosecution's internal network, E-Pros.

The investigation team stated, "It is a serious abuse of authority that infringes upon the principle of vertical separation of powers under the Constitution and laws, as well as the political neutrality of the prosecution," and pointed out, "The Ministry of Justice previously explained that it did not request investigation records related to the 'Cho Kuk family admission fraud,' but only requested investigation records of a 'case where the judgment has already been finalized.'

Furthermore, "However, the official letter dated the 18th of last month, issued by the Inspection Officer, clearly states 'Kim Kyung-rok case related to the Cho Kuk case,' and since the criminal facts of Cho Kuk and others include the crime of instigation against Kim Kyung-rok, the two records must be inseparable," it added.

"Requesting the loan of records including the investigation records of Kim Kyung-rok, whose case was separately prosecuted and finalized, under the pretext that the case against Kim Kyung-rok has been confirmed, can only be seen as an attempt to exert undue influence on the investigation and trial of the Cho Kuk case," it also said.

The investigation team further criticized, "Conducting a primary investigation by the Ministry of Justice without a convincing explanation for the exceptional exercise of primary inspection authority goes against the purpose of the Ministry of Justice's inspection regulations," and stated, "The Inspection Office's request for the loan of records related to the ongoing trial and investigation of the Cho Kuk case, and furthermore, the Inspection Officer's direct attempt to view and copy the records, is an attempt by the Ministry of Justice to directly inspect public officials belonging to the prosecution."

Earlier, Kim Kyung-rok, a securities company private banker (PB) who acted as the asset manager for former Minister Cho Kuk and his wife, submitted a grievance to the National Petition Board claiming that he was coerced by the investigation team during the investigation process to confess to the crime, and that he suffered unfair treatment such as losing his job due to being involved in the conflict between former Minister Cho and the prosecution.

In response to the grievance, the Ministry of Justice Inspection Office recently sent an official letter to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office trial division requesting the investigation records of the finalized case related to former Minister Cho's family to ascertain the facts.

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