Prosecutors: 'Baek Hae-ryong's Distribution of Investigation Documents Is a Serious Violation... No Search and Seizure Based on Speculation Alone'

[Financial News] The prosecution, after rejecting the search and seizure warrant for Baek Hae-ryong, a police inspector at the center of the 'customs drug investigation interference allegations,' issued a warning, stating that Baek's distribution of investigation documents constitutes an 'illegal act.'
On the 17th, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office announced in a press release, "The investigation documents distributed by Inspector Baek contained unverified criminal facts, official secrets related to the case, and sensitive personal information, yet he repeatedly disclosed them." The office added, "We consider these violations extremely serious and will request strict measures from the relevant authorities."
The office further explained the reason for rejecting the search and seizure warrants Baek requested for six agencies, including the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and Incheon Airport Customs: "For a search and seizure, which is a form of compulsory investigation, there must be objective and reasonable suspicion of a specific crime. Exploratory searches for mere information gathering or to find investigative leads are not permitted."
They added, "Aside from documents containing Inspector Baek's own speculations and opinions, there was no material in the investigation records that could objectively substantiate the alleged crimes. Some of the alleged offenses overlapped with cases already closed by the Joint Investigation Team, or the facts as stated could not serve as grounds for a warrant application."
Regarding the on-site verification report, the prosecution noted, "It serves as key evidence showing that drug smugglers have made false statements about customs involvement from the outset." They criticized, "Although Inspector Baek claimed he was aware of their deceptive acts, he left no relevant records in the investigation files and did not probe the reasons for the false statements during questioning, clearly overlooking this issue in the initial investigation stage."
yesji@fnnews.com Kim Ye-ji Reporter