South Korean investigators sought to extend the period covering the arrest warrant for President Yoon, before the first deadline to do so terminated on Monday.
Our correspondent Kim Do-yeon starts us off.
The joint investigation team made up of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the Police Agency re-requested an arrest warrant of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday with the first warrant expiring the same day.
This move follows a bit of misstep by the CIO, in charge of the execution of the warrant, earlier in the day when it tried to entrust the police with the warrant’s execution.
However, the police declined.
“The Special Investigation Unit received an official directive from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials at approximately 7:00 AM today, regarding the execution of an arrest warrant and a search warrant. After conducting an internal legal review, it was determined that the directive from the CIO could be against the law”
The CIO later admitted that the institution lacks the experience and capacity to carry out arrests compared to the police.
This comes after backing down from the first attempt to detain President Yoon last week as the Presidential Security Service declined to make way.
However, the legal issue is that the request for the warrant was made by the CIO.
Also according to current laws, the CIO cannot transfer part of its investigative duties to another institution such as the police.
So, all in all the joint investigation team continues with the CIO in charge of the investigation for the whole process.
And with that the joint investigation team, has now warned the Presidential Security Service that there will be arrests made at the scene if there is interference again during the second arrest attempt.
In the meantime, President Yoon’s legal team has yet again criticized the CIO’s move.
“The president’s position remains, as has been stated several times, that the very act of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials investigating the president on charges of treason is inconsistent with the current legal framework. In other words, it is considered an unlawful investigation.”
President Yoon’s legal team fired back by filing a complaint against 11 key officials involved in the warrant execution process.
Oh Dong-woon, the chief prosecutor for the CIO along with Lee Ho-young, the acting police commissioner, were named on the complaint.
In addition, military leaders were also listed on it.
The legal team said that amid protecting the president from the execution of the illegal arrest warrant, the President Security Service team’s request for backup was ignored, which is an obstruction of responsibility.
Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=279655
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