The prosecution picks up the pace in rebuilding its tarnished reputation and cutting the Gordian knot of corruption inside the prosecutorial body.
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that it will fire trainee prosecutor Jeon Jae-mong who was involved in a sex scandal.
Jon was accused of having sex allegedly in return for favors with a female suspect whom he was interrogating.
Choi Jaek-kyung, the head of the SPO’s Central Investigation Unit, on the same day was acquitted of accusations he aided senior prosecutor Kim Kwang-jun who received 900 million won ($826,000) from the largest pyramid scheme operator and several private firms.
Prosecutor Choi was under investigation for an alleged connection to prosecutor Kim, to whom he gave advice on how to respond to media.
The inspection team dismissed the case as there was no evidence of illegal acts found, officials of the SPO said.
The CIU has been dealing with irregularities committed by political heavyweights and industrial bigwigs, and it has long been criticized for being influenced by political power.
Two major presidential candidates, Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party, and Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party, pledged reform of the prosecution.
“The prosecutors should give up a sense of privilege and remove moral insensibility,” said Park, adding she will abolish the CIU and rebalance investigation power between the police and the prosecution by reducing that of the latter.
Moon also pledged to abolish the CIU, adding “I will not let prosecutors be swayed by political power.”
Meanwhile, it is said the prosecution Tuesday is tracing the bank accounts of a prosecutor and a lawyer who are allegedly involved in a bribery and influence-peddling case.
The SPO launched an inspection Monday of a prosecutor surnamed Park for allegedly receiving bribes for introducing a suspect identified only by his surname Kim to a lawyer who is Park’s brother-in-law.
The two are expected to be summoned soon.
Another suspect involved in a different case with Kim said to media that only Kim among other suspects got fined while the others were sentenced to imprisonment by the prosecution.
Suspect Kim and six others who are all doctors had been charged of administering propofol, an anesthetic, to people for no medical purpose.
By Kim Young-won (
wone0102@heraldcorp.com)
