CIO dismisses complaint against four prosecutors over mass walkout during Lee Hwa-young trial

[Financial News] The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) dismissed a complaint against four prosecutors who walked out en masse during the trial in the perjury case over the alleged salmon-and-alcohol party involving Lee Hwa-young, former vice governor for peace of Gyeonggi Province.
According to legal circles on the 7th, the CIO’s Investigation Division 2, headed by Chief Prosecutor Kim Su-hwan, recently dismissed a complaint filed by Lee’s side against four prosecutors who belonged to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office at the time of the trial, on charges of contempt of court and dereliction of duty, finding no grounds to suspect a crime. Dismissal is a procedure for closing a case without ruling on its merits when the requirements for a complaint or accusation are not met, or when an investigation is deemed unnecessary. The CIO reportedly found no clear evidence of criminal wrongdoing after closely reviewing court records and other materials documenting the prosecutors’ walkout.
The four prosecutors had all walked out on November 25 last year during a pretrial hearing in Lee’s case, which included charges of violating the National Assembly Testimony and Appraisal Act. The hearing was held before the 11th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court, presided over by Judge Song Byeong-hun. Prosecutors had requested a total of 64 witnesses, including Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park Sang-yong of the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office, but when the court selected only six, they filed a motion to recuse the panel, saying, “We cannot abide by this unfair management of the proceedings,” and left the courtroom.
The day after the incident, President Lee Jae-myung described it as “an act that disrupts order in the courtroom” and ordered a thorough inspection and investigation, expressing strong concern. Lee’s legal team reported the prosecutors to the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, saying they had a “clear intention to disrupt the trial and derail a jury trial.” The case was assigned to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency before being transferred to the CIO last January under the relevant law.
Meanwhile, separate from the CIO’s criminal disposition, the Ministry of Justice’s internal disciplinary process over the mass walkout remains suspended for the time being. In April, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Inspection Committee held a closed-door meeting and concluded that it would be difficult to discipline the prosecutors. However, following a separate inspection, the Ministry of Justice sought reprimands for Kim Hyeon-u and Seo Hyeon-uk, former heads of Criminal Division 6 at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office who were members of the leadership at the time. The disciplinary committee meeting, initially scheduled for mid-last month, was postponed indefinitely on the day it was due to be held.   

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter