Lee Tae-han, the special prosecutor appointed to investigate allegations surrounding the shortage of ballots during the June 3 local elections, visited the joint investigation team established by the prosecution and police on August 19.
According to legal sources, the special prosecutor met with Kim Tae-hoon, the head of the joint investigation team and deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, around 1 p.m. to discuss the transfer of the case and personnel deployment for about an hour. This was the special prosecutor's first public external activity since his appointment the previous day.
After the meeting, Lee told reporters, "The internal situation within the prosecution is not favorable, so it seems difficult to receive full support," but added, "I have requested cooperation to the maximum extent possible." He emphasized the need to utilize personnel from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's forensic center to verify any alterations, deletions, or restorations of data.
Prior to his meeting with Kim, Lee stated regarding the appointment of special prosecutor candidates, "We are prioritizing individuals with a basic understanding of digital forensics and database forensics, and we will consider various factors such as investigative capability and intuition to select reasonable candidates."
President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed Lee as the special prosecutor on August 18, selecting him from two candidates recommended by the National Recommendation Committee for Special Prosecutors.
The special prosecutor is authorized to investigate the allegations specified in the Special Prosecutor Act for a maximum of 170 days, including the preparation period. Within 20 days, the special prosecutor will secure necessary facilities and request the appointment of special prosecutor candidates. Even during the preparation period, if rapid evidence collection is needed, related investigations can proceed, and the special prosecutor can file charges and maintain prosecutions on the cases received.
During the preparation period, the special prosecutor will select 10 candidates for special prosecutor positions and request their appointment from President Yoon, who will appoint five of them within five days. The special prosecutor can request personnel from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, and the National Police Agency, aiming to form an investigative team of up to 20 dispatched prosecutors and 70 special investigators.
The special prosecutor must complete investigations on each case and decide whether to file charges within 90 days from the day after the preparation period ends. If the investigations are not completed within this timeframe or if it is difficult to decide on charges, the president's approval is required to extend the investigation period twice, each by 30 days.
The investigation will focus on allegations including: 1) interference with the exercise of voting rights due to ballot shortages; 2) manipulation of election statistics, including voter turnout; 3) management of important election materials, such as ballot storage boxes; and 4) misconduct related to overseas trips and preferential contracts involving current and former members and staff of the Election Commission, among other related cases identified during the investigation.
The joint investigation team has already conducted significant portions of the investigation into the ballot shortage allegations, including interrogating suspects and carrying out compulsory investigations, so the special prosecutor is expected to take over these matters and proceed with the investigation.
In connection with this, the joint investigation team is currently investigating the head of the Seocho District Election Commission's office as a suspect regarding the ballot shortage allegations. Additionally, they are questioning officials from the Gyeonggi Province Election Commission regarding the voter statistics manipulation allegations and two officials from the Central Election Commission regarding the overseas trip allegations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.