The Special Prosecutor's Office (SPO) has reiterated its demand for the transfer of the case involving former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, who was acquitted of violating the Anti-Corruption Law, to the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor's Office (CSPO).
According to legal sources on August 3, the CSPO stated during a regular briefing that "the case against former Minister Park for violating the Anti-Corruption Law has been closed," adding, "Only record retention procedures remain, and the case cannot be transferred."
In response, the SPO issued a statement about two hours after the CSPO's briefing, asserting that the dismissal ruling does not mean the case is not subject to investigation, but rather that it does not determine guilt or innocence. The SPO emphasized that the case is subject to transfer to the relevant authority due to the lack of binding effect of the ruling, indicating that it remains a target for investigation by the CSPO.
The SPO referenced the ruling from the 33rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Jin-kwan, which stated, "If the dismissal ruling is confirmed, the relevant authority can conduct an investigation and file charges."
The SPO further argued that if the case is not transferred for investigation and prosecution, it would raise issues of dereliction of duty for the prosecuting authority.
The disagreement between the two offices also involves the 'Kim Geon-hee Police Investigation Report Leak Case.' Former Minister Park was indicted in May 2024 for allegedly receiving improper requests from Kim Geon-hee to ascertain the status and progress of the investigation into the luxury bag scandal, which involved confirming confidential investigation details with his subordinates.
Previously, the first trial court sentenced former Minister Park to 25 years in prison for charges related to important national duties. However, the charges related to the Anti-Corruption Law involving Kim Geon-hee were dismissed. The SPO withdrew its appeal regarding these charges on July 29 and decided to transfer the case to the CSPO. However, the CSPO issued a statement the same day, countering that the case could not be transferred.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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