'Suspicion of Cash Envelope' Lee Seong-man: "Surprise Warrant... Anger at Political Prosecution"

Statement Released by Independent Assemblyman Lee Sung-man

Independent lawmaker Lee Seong-man, who is under suspicion in the Democratic Party of Korea's '2021 Party Convention Money Envelope Scandal,' strongly opposed the prosecution's reapplication for an arrest warrant on the 1st, stating, "I think the behavior of the political prosecution, which sneakily requests a warrant during a period when the National Assembly is not in session, is truly persistent."

In a statement released that day, Lee said, "Such a surprise reapplication for an arrest warrant is a clear political act that completely disregards the decisions of the National Assembly."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He pointed out, "The prosecution, as a judicial institution, denies the authority of the National Assembly and flaunts that they possess absolute power beyond the Constitution," adding, "Attempting to detain a member of the National Assembly without the Assembly's consent is an abuse of prosecutorial power aimed at blocking the legislative activities of a representative of local residents and protecting a specific political faction."

He continued, "As a member of the public, I feel devastated by the persistent attacks on the opposition party," and added, "I feel anger as a citizen toward the political prosecution that insults the National Assembly, the representative institution of the people, and leads the way for a specific political faction."

Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-cheol), which is investigating this case, filed arrest warrants against Lee and lawmaker Yoon Kwan-seok on the same day for violations of the Political Parties Act. A prosecution official stated, "Regardless of the National Assembly session, sufficient evidence reinforcement has been made through the detention and investigation of Park, a key accomplice and a former aide, allowing the decision to reapply for the warrant at this time."

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