KB News Desk
Former Justice Minister and independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon accused the ruling Democratic Party of Korea of putting political vengeance ahead of the public interest by abolishing prosecutors’ supplementary investigation authority.
The authority allows prosecutors to conduct further inquiries after the police transfer a case to the prosecution and involves gathering additional evidence or addressing shortcomings in the police investigation.
Prosecutors’ supplementary investigation authority will be abolished on Oct. 2, under a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act passed at a parliamentary plenary session Friday.
“The Democratic Party said it was offering the abolition of supplementary investigations as a trophy at former President Roh Moo-hyun’s grave, adding that Roh must be pleased,” Han wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Han’s remarks came after Democratic Party Rep. Kim Yong-min, who led the proposal of the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act, posted on Instagram a photograph of himself visiting Roh’s grave on Saturday.
In the post, Kim wrote, “I lay the approved Criminal Procedure Act amendment before your spirit,” and said that the task started by Roh was finally complete.
Han added that Kim’s post is the same as “admitting that the motive for passing the amendment was not in the public interest but rather a desire for revenge on behalf of Democratic Party politicians who were investigated, including Roh.”
Han’s reference to “revenge for Roh” concerns the political controversy surrounding the prosecution’s investigation of the former liberal president in 2009. Roh was questioned by prosecutors in April that year over a bribery scandal. The investigation was dropped after Roh’s suicide in 2009.
