Kim Geon-hee Continues to Refuse Testimony on 'Nomination Intervention Suspicion'... Indictment 'Not Yet'

[Financial News] Kim Geon-hee, who is under suspicion for 16 allegations including the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation, has entered a 'holding out' mode by exercising her right to remain silent during her second summons investigation after being detained. The special prosecutor's team is considering taking Kim directly to trial, but due to insufficient direct investigation, it seems they will continue the investigation for the time being.
Kim appeared at the special prosecutor's office located in the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, at 9:43 AM on the 18th, escorted by a Ministry of Justice vehicle. The special prosecutor's team conducted an investigation from 10 AM to 11:42 AM on the 'Myung Tae-gyun Nomination Intervention Suspicion' following the previous investigation. In the afternoon, they are investigating the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation suspicion. Lawyers Yoo Jeong-hwa, Chae Myeong-seong, and Choi Ji-woo attended on behalf of Kim as in the previous investigation.
On this day, besides Kim, Kim Ye-seong, involved in the 'Housekeeper Gate', and Jeon Seong-bae, involved in the 'Bribery Suspicion', also appeared at the special prosecutor's office.
It was confirmed that Kim refused to testify on most questions during the investigation. The special prosecutor's team reportedly asked Kim whether she intervened in public opinion polls and the People Power Party's nominations ahead of the 2022 parliamentary by-election concerning the 'Myung Tae-gyun Nomination Intervention Suspicion'. However, Kim exercised her right to remain silent on most questions. Special Prosecutor Oh Jeong-hee explained, "(Kim) occasionally stated 'I don't know' and 'I don't remember'."
Kim is using a 'holding out' strategy by refusing to testify, seemingly trying to evade the special prosecutor's investigation. The special prosecutor's team has secured testimonies from People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun, Myung Tae-gyun, and former lawmaker Kim Young-seon regarding the 'Myung Tae-gyun Nomination Intervention Suspicion'. They are focusing on finding the link between them and Kim through her summons investigation. However, since Kim remains silent, they are expected to shift towards securing additional evidence and testimonies for the time being.
The special prosecutor's team is also focusing on whether Kim directly participated in stock manipulation through the 'Deutsche Motors Stock Manipulation Suspicion'. They questioned Kim about whether she was involved as a 'Jeonju (money master)' in the stock manipulation, but reportedly did not achieve significant results. The special prosecutor's team plans to summon Lee Jong-ho, former CEO of Black Pearl Investment, who was arrested on the 19th, for investigation.
The special prosecutor's team considered indicting Kim without additional summons investigation, but they plan to continue investigating by summoning Kim again. With Kim's detention period reaching halfway since her arrest on the 12th, the special prosecutor's team plans to solidify the charges through further summons investigations. They also considered the fact that Kim has been detained for a short period and continues to exercise her right to remain silent.
Meanwhile, the special prosecutor's team has launched a second search and seizure of the People Power Party to investigate the 'Unification Church Convention Intervention Suspicion'. There is suspicion that a large number of Unification Church members joined the party to support the election of pro-Yoon faction lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong as party leader. The special prosecutor's team intends to compare the People Power Party's membership list with the Unification Church members' list obtained through the search and seizure, but the People Power Party is refusing. In this search and seizure, one prosecutor and two technicians for list comparison visited the People Power Party. Seo Ji-young, deputy chief of the People Power Party's organization, stated, "It is a meeting to hear explanations on how the special prosecutor needs our party's list and the procedural aspects."
Additionally, the special prosecutor's team indicted Yoon Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, and Lee Seong-jae, known as the 'Geonjin Monk Broker', for the 'Geonjin Monk Bribery Suspicion'.
theknight@fnnews.com Jeong Kyung-soo Reporter