‘10 Billion Won False Balance Certificate Submission’ Yoon’s Mother-in-Law... Police Decide Not to Prosecute

No Charges for Attempted Fraud and Obstruction of Official Duties by Deception
No Prosecution for Real Estate Real-Name Act Violation
Police: False Submission Acknowledged but No Impact on Verdict

On the 16th, the police decided not to prosecute Choi, the mother-in-law of President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was accused of attempted fraud for submitting a false balance certificate as evidence in a lawsuit for the return of a deposit.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] The police have decided not to prosecute Choi, the mother-in-law of President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was accused of attempted fraud for submitting a false bank balance certificate as evidence in a lawsuit for the return of a deposit.

The Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 21st that on the 16th, they decided not to prosecute Choi, who was accused of attempted fraud, obstruction of official duties by deception, and violation of the Act on Real Name Registration of Real Estate (Real Estate Real Name Act), citing 'no charges' and 'lack of prosecution rights.'

In August 2013, Choi was involved in a land sale in Dochon-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and after failing to pay the remaining balance, she forfeited the deposit and filed a lawsuit against the seller for the return of the deposit. During this process, Choi was suspected of attempting to deceive the court by submitting a forged bank balance certificate. In December last year, the civic group Judicial Justice Citizens' Action (Sasehaeng) filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Police investigations confirmed that Choi submitted a forged bank balance certificate worth approximately 10 billion KRW. However, the police judged that the bank balance certificate submitted by Choi did not affect the court's ruling. Furthermore, the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office, which indicted Choi on charges of forgery and use of a forged document, did not book her on attempted fraud charges, concluding there was no offense.

Additionally, regarding the charge that Choi obstructed the legitimate execution of duties by the Seoul Central District Court by submitting the forged bank balance certificate, the police determined that "Choi's submission of the forged bank balance certificate in the lawsuit cannot be seen as obstructing the court's specific and realistic execution of duties related to the trial." Regarding the violation of the Real Estate Real Name Act, they stated, "The statute of limitations for this crime is five years, and the crime was completed around March 29, 2005," thus concluding there is no prosecution right.

Meanwhile, regarding the lawsuit for the return of a deposit worth approximately 410 million KRW that Choi filed against the seller Hanadaol Trust, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed Choi's claim in August 2013, and the ruling was finalized in April 2014.

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