South Korea indicts 5 prosecutors over alleged cover-up in first lady's stock manipulation probe

South Korea's special prosecutor's team has indicted five current and former prosecutors, including Lee Chang-soo, the former chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, on charges of obstructing the investigation into allegations surrounding first lady Kim Keon-hee's involvement in stock manipulation. This move escalates the scrutiny over the handling of the high-profile case.

The indicted officials are accused of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and forging official documents. The special prosecutor's team alleges that Lee and Choi Jae-hoon, the former deputy head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, were involved in post-investigation modifications of reports related to the decision not to indict Kim in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case. They are also accused of coordinating unofficial responses with Kim's legal team before the official indictment decision.

“

Lee and Choi were involved in post-investigation modifications of reports related to the decision not to indict Kim in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case.

Further charges of abuse of power and dereliction of duty have been leveled against Choi and another prosecutor, identified only as 'A,' who authored the 'no-indictment investigation report.' The special prosecutor's team contends that these prosecutors improperly affixed seals to reports, making them appear as if they were authored by investigative officers, and deliberately omitted the reports from the system after the non-indictment decision to prevent their modification.

Two other prosecutors from the original investigation team face charges for forging official documents, while another faces charges for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, bringing the total number of indicted former and current prosecutors to five. The special prosecutor's team's actions underscore the intense political and legal pressure surrounding investigations involving figures close to the presidency, highlighting concerns about potential influence peddling and the integrity of the justice system.

“

They are also accused of coordinating unofficial responses with Kim's legal team before the official indictment decision.