Upon reporting Kim Hak's illegal withdrawal, the Supreme Prosecutor's Office 'I'll pretend I didn't get it'

▲ Seongyun Lee, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office

When front-line prosecutors caught and reported the illegal departure ban of former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-eui in 2019, there was a testimony that the chief of the investigation command section of the Anti-Corruption and Violence Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office tried to cover up the investigation, saying, "I will do it without a report."

Lee Hyun-cheol, former head of the Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (currently the chief prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office), appeared as a witness at the trial of the Seoul High Prosecutor's Office, Lee Seong-yoon, held today (15th) at the hearing of the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Settlement Division 27 (Chief Judge Kim Ok-gon) and made the following statement.

Prosecutor Lee explained that he reported to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2019 when he was serving as the head of the Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office that there were circumstances in which Kim was illegally banned from leaving the country.

Prosecutors asked Lee, "Did you ever receive a phone call from Kim Hyeong-geun, then head of the investigation and command department of the Anti-Corruption and Violence Department (currently the head of the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office) the day after sending the report to the Anti-Corruption and Violence Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office? I remember calling him," he replied.

When the prosecution asked, "Chief Kim Hyung-geun said, 'I want you to solve it at the level of the Anyang branch, shouldn't it be resolved?' and said that you would not receive the report." I think he was talking like that.”

In addition, Deputy Prosecutor Lee said, "It means that we are delaying our responsibilities to the front-line agencies while pretending that we did not receive the report."

Senior Prosecutor Lee is accused of exerting pressure (obstructing the exercise of his right to abuse of power) when he was the head of the Anti-Corruption Violence Division of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office in 2019 when the 3rd Criminal Division of the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office Anyang Branch investigated the suspicion of illegal departure from Kim.

(Photo = Yonhap News)