On the 28th, the Supreme Court finally dismissed the application for judicial recusal filed by Lee Hwa-young, former vice-governor of Gyeonggi Province, who is on trial after being indicted on Ssangbangwool’s suspicion of sending money to North Korea. It has been 31 days since Lee Hwa-young’s side re-appealed on the 27th of last month against the Suwon High Court’s decision to dismiss.
The Supreme Court ultimately rejected Lee’s application on this day and said, “There is no reason to reappeal.”
Lee Hwa-young, former Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province for Peace. /News 1
On October 23, Mr. Lee’s side filed a motion for recusal, requesting that the 11th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court, which is in charge of the first trial (Presiding Judge Shin Jin-woo), be changed. The reason was that the trial was conducted in a biased manner. However, this was dismissed by the Suwon District Court on the 1st of last month, and was also dismissed by the Suwon High Court on the 17th of the same month. Mr. Lee then filed a re-appeal on the 27th of last month, saying that he would seek the Supreme Court’s decision.
The prosecution believes that with only three to four trials left in the first trial, Mr. Lee filed a motion for recusal intentionally to delay the trial. If a request for recusal is filed, the ongoing trial will be halted. If a sentence is not issued before the court’s regular reshuffle in February next year, the trial may be significantly delayed due to the renewal process due to the change of judges.
Accordingly, the prosecution submitted written opinions to the Supreme Court twice on the 11th and 27th requesting a speedy decision. In an opinion written on the 27th, the prosecution presented existing cases of judicial recusal requests, such as the Yongsan disaster, the Chungbuk-dong branch case, and the JMS Jeong Myeong-seok case, and requested that the Supreme Court make a prompt decision in the Lee case as in previous cases.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lee’s side filed a petition to the National Assembly on the 26th to impeach the two prosecutors, saying, “The prosecution tried to cajole and pressure Mr. Lee to make false statements.” The prosecution countered, saying, “The investigation was conducted in strict compliance with legal procedures, and there was no evidence of appeasement or pressure.”
Mr. Lee is accused of illegally receiving approximately 300 million won, including corporate cards from the Ssangbangwool Group. When Lee Jae-myeong, leader of the Democratic Party, was serving as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, Ssangbangwool paid a total of $8 million to North Korea in the name of the governor’s visit to North Korea and the North Korean smart farm expenses that Gyeonggi Province should cover. He is being accused of making payments on his behalf and of instigating the destruction of evidence by causing him to destroy information related to the Ssangbangwool corporate card.
2023-12-28 03:53:34
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