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The arrest warrant for Bae, who has been considered a key figure in connection with the 'suspicion of corporate card misappropriation' of Kim Hye-kyung, the spouse of Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, has been dismissed.
With the statute of limitations on the indictment still short, it seems that the investigation will take a big hit.
This is a report by reporter Jeong Seong-jin.
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The court dismissed the arrest warrant for Bae, who was accused of using a Gyeonggi corporate card when Lee Jae-myung, president of the Democratic Party, was governor of Gyeonggi-do.
The court said that, looking at the evidence collected so far, it is difficult to say that the necessity and reasonableness of the arrest have been sufficiently explained, saying that it is necessary to guarantee Bae's right to defend.
Bae is known to have served as an assistant to his spouse Kim Hye-kyung from July 2018 to September last year, when CEO Lee Jae-myung was the governor of Gyeonggi-do. During this period, he paid for Kim's personal food, etc. was accused of misappropriating 20 million won.
Police believe that Mr. Bae also violated the Public Official Election Act, such as serving meals to Democratic Party officials during the presidential election.
As the arrest of Mr. Bae, a key figure, failed, the investigation into allegations of corporate card misappropriation seems inevitable.
As Kim Hye-kyung maintains that she did not know that Bae's corporate card was used, it is not easy for her to prove the relationship between Kim Hye-kyung and Bae.
With only 10 days left until the statute of limitations on the 9th of next month, public opinion criticizing the unreasonable investigation, led by the opposition party, is also expected to grow.