The Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department: "No Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Investigation Team for About 20 Suspected of Indictment Leaks"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Inspection Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating the truth behind the 'Lee Seong-yoon Seoul High Prosecutors' Office Chief Public Indictment Leak' case, reportedly reported to the Ministry of Justice that the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team, initially suspected as the party responsible for the leak, is not involved.

According to the legal community on the 15th, the Inspection Department sent an official letter to the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, which had inquired to "inform us of the inspection details and investigation results," explaining this.

In the official letter, the Inspection Department stated, "Regarding the person who leaked the public indictment, it is highly likely that they are among the 20 or so prosecutors who viewed the indictment file between 0:00 on May 13, when the indictment file became accessible via KICS (Korea Integrated Criminal Justice Information System) search, and the time the leak was confirmed," adding, "The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team members are not included among those 20 prosecutors who viewed the file during the critical time frame." The Inspection Department also reported this to the Ministry of Justice.

Additionally, in response to Suwon District Prosecutors' Office's inquiry asking, "Can the investigation materials be provided to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) to prove the innocence of the investigation team?" the Inspection Department replied, "Inspections usually involve sensitive information and secrets, so special circumstances such as a court-issued search warrant are required."

The suspicion of the indictment leak by the High Prosecutors' Office Chief arose after the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team indicted Lee, then head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, without detention on charges of abuse of authority on May 12, and the indictment details were reported by some media outlets the following day. Following this, the Ministry of Justice Minister Park Beom-gye ordered the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department to start a fact-finding investigation.

The Inspection Department focused its investigation on individuals who searched the indictment electronically from the time it was registered in KICS until the media reports appeared, reportedly including 22 people such as prosecutors. The Inspection Department conducted forensic investigations on their work PCs.

At a similar time, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which also started an investigation, has been continuing its probe for over half a year, identifying the prosecutors from the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team who investigated and indicted Lee as suspects, and repeatedly conducting searches and seizures of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office servers.

The prosecutors who belonged to the investigation team protested the CIO investigation, claiming their innocence as the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department had already excluded them from the investigation. When their demand that the Inspection Department disclose the investigation details was not accepted, they filed an information disclosure request on the 9th. On the same day, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office also sent an official letter to the Inspection Department.

Recently, allegations have been raised that the indictment was leaked by a current chief prosecutor considered a close aide of Lee. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department is also known to have included Prosecutor A, who searched the indictment on KICS during the critical time frame, as a subject of investigation.

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