Kim Geon-hee's alleged involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case has led to charges against former Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Chang-soo and other members of the investigation team.
The second special prosecution team, led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young, announced on August 20 that Lee and four others involved in the investigation have been charged with forgery of official documents and violations of the Anti-Corruption and Whistleblower Protection Act.
The individuals charged include Choi Jae-hoon, head of the Daejeon District Prosecutor's Office's Serious Economic Crimes Investigation Unit, who was the head prosecutor of the anti-corruption investigation team at the time; Seo Min-seok, a professor at the Legal Research and Training Institute; and Kim Min-goo, head of the Financial Investigation Division at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office, who was previously the chief prosecutor at the Gongju District Prosecutor's Office.
However, Shin Woo-jung, the former Deputy Minister of Justice who was implicated in the alleged cover-up, has not been charged.
According to the special prosecution team, Lee and the others are accused of falsely recording the date on the comprehensive investigation report prepared after the non-prosecution decision regarding Kim Geon-hee.
Lee is also accused of aiding Kim Jae-bang, who allegedly solicited a request from Kim Geon-hee's attorney to review the written responses. Kim Jae-bang is accused of participating in an on-site investigation without proper authorization after receiving a request to do so.
Previously, the anti-corruption investigation team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office decided in October 2024 that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that Kim Geon-hee had knowingly participated in stock manipulation, citing a lack of testimony from related parties.
Special Prosecutor Kim Ji-mi stated, "We have been investigating the non-prosecution decision process in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, which is a representative case of the cover-up involving Kim Geon-hee. The investigation has confirmed that the anti-corruption investigation team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office used improper methods to reach a conclusion of non-prosecution against Kim Geon-hee."
She added, "The special prosecution team plans to seek disciplinary action for other identified issues during the investigation and will do our utmost to ensure that appropriate sentences are handed down to the defendants in the future."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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