Deutsche Motors Investigation Team: "Special Prosecutor Indicted Over Trivial Issues After Failing to Find Evidence of Favoritism Toward Kim Keon Hee... We Will Prove Our Innocence in Court"
Conclusion on Kim Keon Hee Investigation Cover-up Allegations Omitted
"One Year of Investigation Failed to Confirm Any External Pressure"
The prosecution team that investigated the 'Deutsche Motors Case' strongly objected to the decision by the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor to indict prosecutors from the investigation team without detention, stating, "It has become clear that there is no substance to the alleged cover-up of the investigation."
The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which was in charge of the Deutsche Motors case, publicly criticized the findings of the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor through a media statement. Previously, the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor indicted five prosecutors from the team without detention, arguing that they had manipulated the case to reach a non-prosecution decision using improper methods.
The investigation team pointed out that the original mandate of the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor was to investigate suspicions of 'concealment of the case and derailment of the investigation' by President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee, among others. However, according to the team, the latest findings from the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor contained no information regarding alleged external pressure to derail the prosecution's investigation. Instead, the Special Prosecutor focused solely on issues such as the manner in which investigative reports were drafted, the requirements and scope for assignment orders, interactions with defense attorneys, and the use of internal IT systems—all of which reflect the team’s usual work and standard investigative practices—using these as grounds for indictment.
The investigation team emphasized, “This result from the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor clearly confirms that there was no external pressure on the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office investigation team and that the allegations of derailing the investigation are completely unfounded.” They further criticized, “Although it is necessary to announce to the public that claims of an investigation cover-up are untrue, misleading the outcome as if the case was cleared through improper means is a foolish act that attempts to conceal the truth and the reality.”
The team also reiterated the independence and legitimacy of their investigation. They explained that the Deutsche Motors case was an exceptionally long-term unresolved case, which had been investigated over a period of 4 years and 6 months since the initial complaint was filed in April 2020, involving four chief prosecutors and six lead prosecutors. In particular, they noted that after the Minister of Justice exercised investigative command authority in October 2020—which effectively excluded the Prosecutor General from the process—the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office conducted an independent investigation, entirely free from external influence or consideration.
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Moreover, the investigation team raised several issues with the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor’s process. They alleged that there had been unlawful execution of search and seizure warrants, investigations using illegally obtained evidence, and detection of unrelated crimes, all in violation of judicial precedents. The team stated that they identified and requested correction for these illegalities and irregularities, but their requests were not accepted. "Now that the investigation results have been announced, we will clarify both the illegality of the Comprehensive Special Prosecutor's process and the innocence of the prosecution team before the court," the investigation team concluded.
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