Only swift investigations can ease public anxiety
Published: 26 Dec. 2024, 19:40
President Yoon Suk Yeol remains defiant against in-person questioning, rejecting the second summons from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) co-heading the investigation on his Dec. 3 martial law declaration with the police and military.
The CIO offered to wait if the president did not appear by 10 a.m. on Christmas Day. But Yoon’s lawyer stated the president’s priority lies with the impeachment trial rather than the investigation. Yoon, however, has yet to comply with document submission orders from the Constitutional Court, nor formerly assigned or notified his legal team.
For now, the CIO hopes to rely on the president’s goodwill instead of deliberating the issuance of an arrest warrant. No progress has been made to hold the president accountable for his Dec. 3 stunt, apart from the suspension via impeachment motion.
A criminal investigation into a sitting president should be conducted with discretion. But the pace of Yoon’s investigation has been markedly slow versus other suspects under insurrection charges for the short-lived martial law. CIO chief Oh Dong-woon, who even floated the idea of arresting the president after he banned him from leaving the country, lost much of his earlier resolve. He commanded the investigation into key figures involved the martial law execution independently of the prosecution and police. But he has been making little headway into the probe on the mastermind.
The CIO’s overlapping role versus the prosecution and police in the investigations have muddied the process. Loopholes from the hastily drafted CIO Act and changes to the law enforcement offices under the Moon Jae-in government became evident in the face of national crisis.
The prosecution has transferred its authority in the investigation into the president to the CIO and police. But the authority to indict the president lies with the prosecution as the CIO can indict only up to judges and prosecutors. An orderly investigation could be better through an independent counsel, but it takes time to assemble a special counsel team. The confusion of the witnesses choosing which agency to go to for questioning may persist for the time being. The president rejects any mention of an arrest and former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun has been refusing to testify.
Delays in any investigation can give time for suspects to destroy evidence and align their testimonies. Justice can be delayed and distorted as a result, which is a graver matter when it involves the criminality of the highest state power. The CIO and law enforcement authorities must expedite their efforts and live up to public expectations.
The CIO offered to wait if the president did not appear by 10 a.m. on Christmas Day. But Yoon’s lawyer stated the president’s priority lies with the impeachment trial rather than the investigation. Yoon, however, has yet to comply with document submission orders from the Constitutional Court, nor formerly assigned or notified his legal team.
For now, the CIO hopes to rely on the president’s goodwill instead of deliberating the issuance of an arrest warrant. No progress has been made to hold the president accountable for his Dec. 3 stunt, apart from the suspension via impeachment motion.
A criminal investigation into a sitting president should be conducted with discretion. But the pace of Yoon’s investigation has been markedly slow versus other suspects under insurrection charges for the short-lived martial law. CIO chief Oh Dong-woon, who even floated the idea of arresting the president after he banned him from leaving the country, lost much of his earlier resolve. He commanded the investigation into key figures involved the martial law execution independently of the prosecution and police. But he has been making little headway into the probe on the mastermind.
The CIO’s overlapping role versus the prosecution and police in the investigations have muddied the process. Loopholes from the hastily drafted CIO Act and changes to the law enforcement offices under the Moon Jae-in government became evident in the face of national crisis.
The prosecution has transferred its authority in the investigation into the president to the CIO and police. But the authority to indict the president lies with the prosecution as the CIO can indict only up to judges and prosecutors. An orderly investigation could be better through an independent counsel, but it takes time to assemble a special counsel team. The confusion of the witnesses choosing which agency to go to for questioning may persist for the time being. The president rejects any mention of an arrest and former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun has been refusing to testify.
Delays in any investigation can give time for suspects to destroy evidence and align their testimonies. Justice can be delayed and distorted as a result, which is a graver matter when it involves the criminality of the highest state power. The CIO and law enforcement authorities must expedite their efforts and live up to public expectations.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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