The second special prosecution team, led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young, is investigating prosecutors from the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office over allegations of covering up the stock manipulation case involving Kim Geon-hee and Deutsche Motors. The special prosecutors are focusing on whether there was any interference from the prosecution leadership or the presidential office during the decision not to prosecute Kim.
On the morning of May 11, the special prosecutors summoned Choi Jae-hoon, head of the Daejeon District Prosecutor's Office's Major Economic Crimes Investigation Unit, and Kim Min-goo, head of the Financial Investigation Division at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office, as witnesses. Both are key prosecutors who handled the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation investigation at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2.
Choi Jae-hoon stated upon his arrival at the special prosecutors' office at around 9:40 a.m., "As the sixth lead prosecutor handling this case, I have never received any improper instructions or external pressure during the investigation. I conducted the investigation rigorously based on evidence and legal principles, leading to the final decision."
He added, "The investigation has been ongoing for about ten months, from the special prosecution into Kim Geon-hee last year to the current comprehensive special prosecution. Being left as a subject of investigation constitutes a significant violation of human rights, so I urge for a swift conclusion to the investigation."
In contrast, Kim Min-goo did not respond to reporters' questions about why the non-prosecution document was prepared in advance as he headed into the interrogation room.
The special prosecutors are investigating whether there was undue pressure during the decision not to prosecute Kim Geon-hee regarding the allegations of stock manipulation involving Deutsche Motors. The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office concluded that Kim Geon-hee had merely entrusted her account to former Deutsche Motors chairman Kwon Oh-soo and was unaware of any market manipulation activities, leading to a non-prosecution decision for violations of the Capital Markets Act.
Notably, during a search and seizure operation in March at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office, and Gongju District Prosecutor's Office, the special prosecutors reportedly secured the non-prosecution document believed to have been drafted by Kim Min-goo. They suspect that the conclusion not to prosecute may have been internally decided before Kim Geon-hee was questioned in a closed session at the presidential security office in July of the same year, with the document's revision date pinpointed to May 2024.
Additionally, the special prosecutors are investigating whether the presidential office or the prosecution leadership influenced the investigation team based on evidence that Kim Geon-hee inquired about her investigation status via a Telegram message to former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae in May 2024.
There are also ongoing inquiries into allegations that Lee Chang-soo, the former head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office, sent a message to the investigation team suggesting they consider a not guilty verdict, to determine whether there was any involvement from the leadership at that time.
The investigation team maintains that they made the non-prosecution decision based on sufficient evidence and testimonies, asserting that there was no external pressure. They claim that the disputed non-prosecution document was merely an internal document to review potential arguments and was saved during the handover process in personnel changes.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.