Court cancels plan to question Park as witness at aide's trial

By a2017001

Published : May 31, 2017 - 16:41 Updated : May 31, 2017 - 16:52

A Seoul court on Wednesday nullified its decision to question former President Park Geun-hye as a witness in her aide's trial as she refused to comply with a court-issued warrant to appear at the hearing.

The Seoul Central District Court earlier accepted the request filed by an independent counsel team to bring Park to the trial of Lee Young-seon, a former presidential bodyguard.

Former President Park Geun-hye, who is now in jail over corruption charges, is taken to the Seoul Central District Court on May 30, 2017, before heading to a courtroom to attend the fourth hearing over a string of corruption charges that led to her ouster in March. (Yonhap)

The warrant was issued after Park refused to appear at the same trial twice, citing the need to prepare for her own case underway. Under the law, a witness can be forced to appear at court if he or she declines to answer the summons without legitimate reason.

"We tried to persuade her for about an hour to comply with the legitimate law enforcement activity but Park strongly resisted, citing health issues," a prosecutor said. "Considering that Park is a woman and former president, we could not exercise physical force."

Accordingly, the court withdrew the decision and asked the prosecution to try written questioning.

Lee is one of Park's many aides standing trial in relation to the influence-peddling scandal that led to Park's arrest and indictment.

Prosecutors indicted Lee in February over allegations he helped the former president receive medical treatments from people without due safety checks. He is also accused of opening illegal phone accounts for the former president and other figures embroiled in the scandal. (Yonhap)