Han Hak-ja, Unification Church President, Begins Detention Hearing... Silent in Wheelchair

[Financial News] The pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review) for Han Hak-ja, the Unification Church President pinpointed as the apex of the 'religion-politics collusion' suspicion, has begun. President Han, on the brink of arrest, entered in a wheelchair but did not express any position.
The Seoul Central District Court's Judge Jeong Jae-wook, in charge of warrants, is conducting the detention hearing for President Han, who is accused of violating the Political Funds Act, from 1:30 PM on the 22nd. The court will also conduct a hearing for Jeong Won-joo, the chief secretary of the Unification Church President, who is also accused of conspiring in the crimes, from 4 PM on the same day.
President Han arrived at the court at 12:53 PM, got out of the vehicle, and headed to the courtroom in a wheelchair. At the scene, devotees gathered and shouted, "We love you, President!"
The press asked if he testified that he gave Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, New Year's money and a tie instead of 100 million won, how he views Yoon Young-ho, the head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, admitting to delivering 100 million won, and if he would mainly mention health issues during the detention review, but he did not respond.
The special prosecutor team plans to emphasize the necessity of detention by deploying 8 prosecutors, including the team leader, for the hearing, and submitting materials consisting of over 420 pages of opinions and over 220 pages of PowerPoint (PPT) slides.
Previously, the special prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for President Han on the 18th for four charges: violating the Political Funds Act, violating the Anti-Graft Act, instructing evidence destruction, and embezzlement in business. He is accused of delivering 100 million won to Kwon Seong-dong through Yoon Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, and donating several hundred million won to the People Power Party using Unification Church funds.
Additionally, he is accused of gifting luxury items like Chanel bags to Kim Keon-hee through Jeon Seong-bae, a Buddhist monk, and enrolling Unification Church members as members of the People Power Party to make Kwon a party leader. However, the current arrest warrant request does not include charges of violating the Political Parties Act.
President Han did not respond to the special prosecutor's summons on the 8th, 11th, and 15th, but voluntarily appeared for investigation on the 17th. However, it is reported that he denied most of the charges during the investigation. The special prosecutor plans to argue for the necessity of detention based on the concern that he might destroy evidence using his position.
Meanwhile, the Unification Church stated in a position paper the previous day that "(President Han) is elderly and has health issues, and detention could cause irreversible health deterioration," and "there is no risk of flight or evidence destruction, nor is there substantial utility in detention." They further argued, "Religious organizations operate based on trust, and (the raised suspicions) are deviations by a specific individual," and "the truth can be sufficiently clarified even without detention."

scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter