On the 24th, the prosecution launched a compulsory investigation into the lawyer of Kim Yong, former vice president of the Institute for Democracy, who is on trial for receiving illegal political funds. He is accused of perjury by a person who appeared as a witness in Kim’s trial.
The 3rd Anti-Corruption Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office (Chief Kang Baek-sin) announced that day that it was confiscating and searching the residence of a lawyer who is suspected of teaching perjury and using forged evidence.
Attorney Lee is accused of instigating perjury to Mr. Lee, the former head of the Gyeonggi City Mayor and Commercial District Promotion Agency, who appeared as a witness at Kim’s trial last May. At the trial at the time, Mr. Lee testified that “I met with Mr. Kim and others at the Suwon Convention Center around 3-4 pm on May 3, 2021, and had a meeting.” This is the day the prosecution suspects that Mr. Kim received 100 million won in illegal political funds from Yoo Dong-kyu, former head of the Planning Division of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation먹튀검증, at the office of Yuwon Holdings in Seongnam City.
At the trial that day, Mr. Lee said that the related schedule was registered in his old mobile phone calendar, and submitted a photo of the schedule list taken with another mobile phone to the court. However, when the judge asked Mr. Lee to submit his cell phone for forensic purposes to confirm the authenticity of this testimony, Mr. Lee refused to submit it, claiming that he had “lost his cell phone.” Later, as a result of the prosecution’s investigation, it was investigated that Mr. Kim was in Seongnam City, not the Suwon Convention Center, at the time Mr. Lee pointed out. Prosecutors believe that Mr. Lee manipulated the calendar photo, and also charged Lee with using forged evidence for his involvement in submitting this evidence to the court.
On the other hand, the search and seizure target on this day included the offices of Mr. Park and Mr. Seo, who served as the head of the Situation Office in Lee’s last presidential campaign. On the 17th, the prosecution also seized and searched the residence of the two people. Mr. Park and Mr. Seo are accused of being involved in the process of perjury by Mr. Lee.
Regarding the seizure and search by the prosecutors, Mr. Kim’s lawyer said, “It is an act of violence that is difficult to find even during the military regime to conduct a house search for a lawyer who was involved in the witness newspaper on charges of instructing perjury.” They are trying to psychologically intimidate the lawyers and lawyers, but you can’t cover the harm with your palms.”