Former Lawmaker Lee Sang-jik Suspected of 'Eastar Hiring Fraud' Arrested Again... Court Cites "Flight Risk"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik, suspected of 'Eastar Jet recruitment fraud,' has been detained.

According to the legal community on the 15th, Ji Yoon-seop, the presiding judge in charge of warrants at Jeonju District Court, issued a pre-arrest warrant requested by the prosecution against Lee on charges of obstruction of business. On the same day, Choi Jong-gu, former CEO of Eastar Jet, who underwent a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant substantive examination) for the same charges, was also detained.

Judge Ji stated, "A significant portion of the suspects' criminal charges has been substantiated, and there is a risk of flight and evidence destruction," adding, "Considering the serious nature of the recruitment fraud involving multiple people over a long period, as well as relationships with witnesses." "(Regarding former lawmaker Lee) we also examined indications of attempts to destroy evidence," he added.

Earlier, Lee and former CEO Choi are suspected of exerting external pressure on HR personnel to select 127 applicants who scored below the passing mark during the Eastar Jet employee recruitment process, including document screening and interviews, from late 2015 to early 2019.

The Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office reportedly found recruitment documents seized from Eastar Jet offices that contained the names of incumbent metropolitan governors and former members of the National Assembly as recommenders.

With the issuance of the warrant on this day, Lee was detained for the third time in connection with the Eastar Jet case. He was first detained on April 28 last year on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust related to Eastar Jet, but was released on October 28 last year after the court granted bail ex officio before the first trial verdict.

However, in January, the court recognized most of his charges as guilty, sentenced him to six years in prison, and ordered his detention in court. Lee was released on bail on June 30 and has been undergoing trial without detention.

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