Prosecutors, What Is the Direction of the Investigation into Lee Jae-myung? ... The 9th, When the Statute of Limitations Ends, Is a Turning Point

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution's investigation targeting Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is expected to reach a turning point on the 9th. This is because the statute of limitations for the 'violation of the Public Official Election Act' charge against him expires on that day. The prosecution must conclude the investigation by the 9th. Depending on the conclusion, the direction of Lee's 'judicial risk' could change, drawing significant attention.

According to political and legal circles on the 4th, the Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Sang-hyun) and the Criminal Division 3 of the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Yoo Min-jong) notified Lee's side to appear at the prosecution for questioning at 10 a.m. on the 6th.

Lee has not yet responded regarding his attendance. He is expected to deliberate deeply over the weekend and make a decision. The decision on whether to appear may also be made within the party. The Democratic Party of Korea, to which Lee belongs, will hold an emergency party members' meeting on the 5th to discuss Lee's attendance at the prosecution.

The prosecution summoned Lee on suspicion of false statement publication under the Public Official Election Act. There are three related cases. First, Lee stated in an interview with a broadcasting company during the presidential election period that he did not know the late Kim Moon-gi, the head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, who was a key figure in the Daejang-dong development project. Second, on October 20 last year, during the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's inspection of Gyeonggi Province, he said regarding the preferential treatment suspicion related to the land use change of Baekhyeon-dong site, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport forced us to do it," referring to a cooperation letter received from the ministry during development. Third, regarding the deletion of the Daejang-dong excess profit recovery clause, he stated at last year's inspection, "I was not informed," and "After the selection of the preferred negotiation partner, it cannot be changed recklessly as it may lead to disciplinary action by the Board of Audit and Inspection."

The statute of limitations for these cases expires on the 9th. The investigation team sent a written inquiry to Lee's side on the 19th of last month, requesting a response by the 26th, but Lee did not reply. Accordingly, the investigation team sent a summons to Lee's side on the 31st of last month, requesting his appearance on the 6th. Lee is more likely to refuse attendance by invoking his 'immunity from arrest' as a member of the National Assembly. Meanwhile, the prosecution is expected to decide the direction of the case before the 9th after seeing whether Lee clarifies the charges. If the prosecution indicts Lee without detention, the judicial risk will continue.

The 'allegation of lawyer fee payment on behalf' of Lee, which the Public Investigation Division of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jung Won-doo) is examining, is also expected to reach a conclusion soon. The statute of limitations for this case also expires on the 9th. It concerns allegations that during Lee's tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province in 2018, large sums of legal fees were paid on behalf of his lawyers handling the Public Official Election Act violation case through convertible bonds from the Ssangbangwool Group. At the end of last month, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office formed an integrated investigation team by combining the Public Investigation Division and the Criminal Division 6 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-nam) to focus on investigating the connection between this case and the Ssangbangwool Group's embezzlement and breach of trust case. As the statute of limitations approaches, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office is also expected to solidify the charges of the 'lawyer fee payment on behalf' allegation this week and decide whether to indict Lee. The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office may also notify Lee of a written or face-to-face investigation as the final step of the investigation.

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