Court denies detention review for 'Kim Man-bae's vault keeper' Lee Han-seong, "Detention maintained"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Lee Hanseong, co-CEO of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management (Hwacheon Daeyu), who cooperated in concealing the assets of Kim Manbae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, filed a detention review petition with the court, but it was not accepted.

On the 23rd, the Criminal Appeals Division 5-1 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Choi Byeongryul, Won Jeongsuk, Jeong Deoksu) dismissed Lee's detention review petition filed on the 20th, stating, "Based on the suspect interrogation conducted the previous day and the records, this petition has no grounds."

A detention review is a procedure in which a detained suspect challenges the legality of their detention and requests the court to reconsider. If the court accepts the detention review petition, the prosecution must release the suspect.

Lee, who was detained on the 16th, is accused of hiding approximately 26 billion KRW by withdrawing profits obtained from the Daejang-dong project in checks, hiding them, or purchasing real estate under false names through false accounting, under the instructions of Kim, along with Hwacheon Daeyu director Choi Woohyang (former vice chairman of Ssangbangwool Group), from October last year to July this year.

Lee was a secretary to Lee Hwayoung, former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor and a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, during the time Lee Hwayoung was a member of the National Assembly. After joining Hwacheon Daeyu at the request of Kim, a fellow alumnus of Sungkyunkwan University, Lee managed Kim's bank accounts and seals and handled fund withdrawals according to his instructions.

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