The case against Park Seong-jae, former Minister of Justice, for violating the Anti-Corruption Law in connection with Kim Geon-hee has been transferred to the National Police Agency following a dispute between the Insurrection Special Prosecutor's team (led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-seok) and the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor's team (led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young).
According to legal sources on September 27, the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor recently sent a decision document regarding the transfer of Park's case, received from the Insurrection Special Prosecutor, to the National Police Agency. This transfer resolves the jurisdictional and procedural disagreements that had arisen between the two special prosecutor teams.
Park is accused of receiving improper requests related to an investigation from Kim Geon-hee in May 2024 and directing a public official from the Ministry of Justice to confirm and report on the investigation status. At that time, Kim, who was under investigation for allegedly receiving a Dior bag, reportedly sent a message to Park inquiring about the progress of the investigation and its fairness compared to other cases, shortly after the then Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok ordered the formation of a dedicated team.
The Insurrection Special Prosecutor charged Park with violating the Anti-Corruption Law, but the first-instance court dismissed the case, stating that the allegations were not directly related to the scope of investigation under the Special Prosecutor Act concerning martial law, insurrection, or foreign exchange crimes. After the appeal was rejected, the Insurrection Special Prosecutor transferred the case to the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor.
However, the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor expressed concerns, citing Article 18 of the Special Prosecutor Act, which states that cases that have already been prosecuted and finalized cannot be transferred. Deputy Special Prosecutor Kim Ji-mi explained during a briefing on August 3 that this matter appears to require a referral for investigation to the National Police Agency.
Meanwhile, apart from the allegations of violating the Anti-Corruption Law, Park has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for charges including insurrection-related duties and abuse of authority, and he is currently undergoing an appeals trial.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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