Yoon Hee-keun, the former Commissioner of the National Police Agency, appeared again before the second special prosecutor team investigating allegations of covering up a gambling case linked to the Unification Church. Yoon described the allegations as "an absurd frame."
The special prosecutors began questioning Yoon, who is under investigation for abuse of power, at 10 a.m. on July 21.
Arriving at the special prosecutor's office in Gwacheon at 9:45 a.m., Yoon stated, "I find it difficult to agree with the notion of denying the allegations," adding that the matter itself is "an entirely nonexistent absurd frame."
Regarding the gambling allegations involving the Unification Church, he claimed, "I was not aware of it, nor have I received any reports about it," asserting that the police do not leak criminal secrets to suspects or cover up investigations. He called the situation a humiliating matter that defames not only himself but also the police leadership and his colleagues.
Yoon is accused of failing to properly investigate reports that Unification Church leaders, including Chairman Han Hak-ja, engaged in approximately 600 billion won worth of gambling at casinos in Las Vegas, USA, between 2008 and 2011.
In the past, the Chuncheon Police received tips from insiders of the Unification Church between May and July 2022, indicating that Chairman Han frequently engaged in overseas gambling using cash from church members. A report was created and registered in the internal system.
Although the report was rated as a top-tier "special report," it is said that the National Police Agency did not formally assign the case due to a lack of additional evidence.
The previous special prosecutor team, led by Kim Geon-hee, found that former People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong, a close associate of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, received police investigation tips and passed them to the Unification Church. Kwon and Chairman Han were indicted, but the investigation into the internal leak and higher-ups' involvement was not completed.
The special prosecutors are investigating whether Yoon, who was appointed as the first Commissioner of the National Police Agency after Yoon Suk-yeol's election, directed or was involved in the cover-up of the investigation, having summoned him for questioning on June 23.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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