Seoul Regional Serious Crimes Investigation Agency assigns case over allegations concerning Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae’s official business expenses to Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau

[Financial News] The Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) has assigned a complaint related to allegations of improper use of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae’s official business expenses to an investigative unit and begun a full-scale review.
According to legal sources on the 19th, the Seoul Regional Serious Crimes Investigation Agency assigned to its Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau a case in which Chief Justice Cho and Noh Kyung-pil, head of the National Court Administration, among others, were accused of abuse of authority and breach of trust in the course of business, among other offenses.
Earlier, the civic group Citizens’ Action for Establishing Judicial Justice (Judicial Justice Civic Action) filed a complaint with the Serious Crime Investigation Agency on the 16th against Chief Justice Cho and others.
The allegations concern the Supreme Court’s use of its official business expenses. In the results of its regular audit last August, the Board of Audit and Inspection said it had found that the Supreme Court paid its justices cash encouragement payments averaging 2 million won per month from 2022 through April 2024.
It also pointed out that the court purchased around 100 million won worth of wine using official business expenses and recorded the purpose of the purchases unclearly. Chief Justice Cho is also suspected of inflating the number of attendees and running up large bills for meals and alcohol while using official business expenses.
Earlier, Serious Crime Investigation Agency chief Kim Ji-yong said at a National Assembly confirmation hearing on the 14th, in response to a question about whether a complaint related to the allegations concerning Chief Justice Cho’s official business expenses could be investigated, “If a complaint is filed, an investigation is possible.”
 



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