The date of notification of the prosecution's subpoena investigation into Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myeong is approaching in two days, but as the possibility of Lee's non-attendance increases, the future prosecution's response is drawing attention.
According to the legal community, the 3rd Criminal Division of the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office has not yet received a reply to the summons request to attend the investigation on the 28th regarding the suspicion of sponsoring Seongnam FC.
Suspicion of donations to Seongnam FC is that while CEO Lee was the owner of Seongnam FC when he was mayor of Seongnam, he attracted 17 billion won in donations from companies such as Naver and Doosan E&C from 2016 to 2018, and provided conveniences such as building permits and land use changes to these companies. that it did
Representative Lee was accused of this allegation by the Bareunmirae Party at the time of 2018, and is a suspect accused of bribery to a third party in this case.
In politics, the dominant opinion is that Lee will not respond to the summons on the 28th.
Already on the day of the summons, under the name of 'Listening Tour', schedules such as visiting Yang Geum-deok, a victim of forced labor by Japan in the Jeonnam and Gwangju regions, and attending the Gwangju Field Supreme Council meeting are scheduled.
The prosecution is expected to coordinate the summoning schedule with Lee or notify him of an additional summoning date if he does not comply with the summons.
In the end, if CEO Lee refuses to comply, the investigation can only be concluded based on the evidence obtained through the investigation and the statements of the people involved, just as we prosecuted without a subpoena investigation on the violation of the Public Official Election Act related to the alleged preferential treatment of Baek Hyeon-dong on September 8.
A written investigation may also be an alternative.
However, this Seongnam FC suspicion is a bribery case of 10 billion won by a leading politician, and considering the seriousness of the case, the prosecution, who is responsible for proving the allegations, voiced that it will not be able to neglect securing the testimony of CEO Lee, who is at the peak of the suspicion. come out
An official in the legal profession said, "If the party does not respond to the summons to the end, it may inevitably have to come to a conclusion without investigation." It would be desirable to hear."
If Representative Lee does not respond to several requests for attendance, it is possible to anticipate the option of requesting an arrest warrant from the prosecution in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act. not.
On the other hand, the prosecution, which has reached the end of the Seongnam FC suspicion investigation, is expected to come to a conclusion about CEO Lee and some companies soon.
It is said that Naver and Cha Hospital have already completed the investigation.
From 2015 to 2016, Naver sponsored Seongnam FC with KRW 3.9 billion through Hope Salim (now Jubilee Bank), a public interest corporation. Naver's complaint is believed to have been heard by the city.
CHA Bundang Hospital, which has planned to build a high-tech (stem cell) medical facility on the site of the former Bundang Police Station and Bundang Public Health Center, also donated 3.3 billion won to Seongnam FC from 2015 to 2017.
In 2018, the city decided to change the district unit plan to increase the standard floor area ratio of the Bundang Cha Hospital and Bundang Police Station sites from 200-250% to 460%.
These companies are known to have made statements to the effect that 'there was a request for donations from the city' during the prosecution's investigation.
Prosecutors are expected to continue investigating the suspicion of donations to the Blue Wirye Project, a special purpose corporation (SPC) created by the rest of the companies involved in the suspicion of Seongnam FC, such as Nonghyup Bank, Alphadom City, and Hyundai Department Store, and the 'Daejang-dong gang'. .
(Photo = Yonhap News)