As the second prosecution investigation of Lee Jae-myung, the head of the Democratic Party of Korea in relation to the “suspicion of preferential treatment for the Wirye New City/Daejang-dong development project” is completed, the prosecution is expected to review to determine whether to request an arrest warrant.
As the extraordinary National Assembly is in progress in February, if an arrest warrant is requested, the National Assembly must pass the motion for arrest, so it is noteworthy whether the motion for Lee’s arrest will be put to a vote during this month.
Lee Jae-myeong, representative of the Democratic Party of Korea, is answering questions from reporters after being investigated by the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office on the 10th./Yonhap News/
Representative Lee, who appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office on the 10th, completed an investigation that lasted about 11 hours.
After completing the investigation, CEO Lee insisted that it was “a very unfair treatment,” saying, “There is no new evidence presented and no evidence could be found other than the overturned statements of the people involved in Daejang-dong who were captured by the prosecution.”
It is known that during the investigation that day, CEO Lee arrived two hours later than the time suggested by the prosecution and did not agree to the late-night investigation, so he could not complete the 200-page questionnaire prepared by the prosecution. However, it is said that additional summons will not be considered in consideration of the fact that CEO Lee has practically exercised the right to refuse to make a statement on two occasions and that sufficient opportunities have been given.
The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office is expected to receive a report on the results of the investigation and future plans from the investigation team and decide whether to request an arrest warrant for Lee next week. Among the cases related to Lee, it is likely to take over the Seongnam FC illegal donation case, for which the investigation process was completed, from the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office and request a warrant in bulk.
In order to arrest an incumbent member who has the privilege of non-arrest during a session of the National Assembly, the motion for arrest must be put to a vote at the plenary session and must be approved by a majority of the present members in attendance.
According to the National Assembly Act, the motion for arrest is automatically reported at the first plenary session after being submitted to the National Assembly, and must be voted on within 72 hours after 24 hours from the time it is reported. Even if it exceeds 72 hours, it is not discarded, and it is presented to the first plenary session after that and put to a vote.
However, there is a high possibility that the motion for arrest will be rejected in the National Assembly, where the Democratic Party holds more than half of the 169 seats. There is a possibility that there will be a breakaway vote within the Democratic Party, but both the ruling and opposition parties are predicting that there will be no breakaway vote enough to pass the arrest motion.
Meanwhile, regarding the review of the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant, the Democratic Party slammed it as “truly absurd and despicable.”
Reporter Lee Ji-hye [email protected]
