Detective Division 6 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office arrested and indicted his nephew Kim Mo (33) on charges of helping former Star Mobility chairman Kim Bong-hyun (48) escape, the main culprit of the 'Lime Incident' today (23rd).
According to the prosecution, Mr. Kim is accused of assisting former Chairman Kim in the process of breaking off the electronic bracelet attached to him on bail conditions on the 11th of last month right before the trial and running away.
Mr. Kim shared his escape plan with former chairman Kim and drove him to the vicinity of the southern end of Paldang Bridge in Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province.
Former Chairman Kim cut the electronics in the vehicle and fled.
Under the Criminal Act, the crime of escaping a criminal does not apply if you help a relative escape.
Prosecutors arrested Kim on the 8th, considering him an accomplice in the charge of damaging electronic devices.
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Prosecutors arrested and indicted B (47), an entertainment agency official, and C (45), the lover of former chairman Kim's sister, on the 6th for assisting in the escape by exchanging contact with former chairman Kim through mobile phones.
Mr. B provided a place to escape by booking a hotel in the name of an acquaintance in February 2020, after former chairman Kim ran away before the interrogation of the suspect before arrest.
Mr. B was also charged with opening a cannon phone after former chairman Kim was released on bail in July of last year.
In the middle of last month, Mr. C is accused of informing him of the progress of the investigation by talking to former Chairman Kim, who was connected by his sister.
On the 28th of last month, the prosecution issued an arrest warrant for former Chairman Kim's sister on charges of aiding a criminal escaping, and requested measures to invalidate her passport and Interpol red notice, respectively.
The prosecution is preparing for the possibility of smuggling by sharing related information with the police and requesting the Coast Guard to strengthen inspections and searches.
An official from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office said, "We are closely tracking the 3 prosecutors' offices belonging to the 6th Criminal Investigation Division, and 5 investigators from the Supreme Prosecutor's Office are supported, and a team dedicated to arrest is formed by injecting investigators in charge of the Southern District Prosecutor's Office." will be severely punished without exception."
Former Chairman Kim broke off the electronic bracelet he was wearing as a condition of his bail and fled near Paldang Bridge in Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province at around 1:30 pm on the 11th of last month.
He was arrested and indicted on charges of embezzling tens of billions of won from Suwon passengers and Star Mobility funds and providing money and entertainment to politicians and prosecutors.
(Photo = Courtesy of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office, Yonhap News)