The second comprehensive special counsel team led by Kwon Chang-young has booked Choi Jae-hoon, former head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and launched a forced investigation over allegations of covering up the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case involving first lady Kim Keon-hee.
The special counsel said on the 29th, "In connection with the cover-up of the Deutsch Motors investigation, we have booked prosecutor Choi on charges including the preparation of false official documents, and today conducted a search and seizure of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Information and Communications Division and a mobile phone owned by senior prosecutor Choi."
The "Deutsch investigation cover-up allegations" concern claims that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office issued a non-indictment decision on first lady Kim, who had been named as an accomplice, without conducting a proper investigation when it disposed of the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case. The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which investigated the case at the time, concluded that Kim had entrusted account management to former Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, the head of a listed company, in order to earn profits by trusting him, but was unaware of the price manipulation crime, and issued a no-charge decision on the suspected violation of the Capital Markets Act.
The special counsel team later led by Min Joong-ki subsequently launched an investigation on the grounds that Lee Chang-soo, then head of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, and others had abused their authority or accepted improper external pressure while investigating Kim's case. However, due to limitations in the investigation period and the parties' refusal to comply with requests to appear, the team was unable to complete the investigation and transferred the case to the police.
The comprehensive special counsel team conducted searches on March 23 of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Policy Planning Division, Information and Communications Division, and Anti-Corruption Division 2, the offices of the Central District Prosecutors' Office's Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2, and the office of the head of the Gongju branch office. On the 11th, the team summoned and questioned, as a reference witness, senior prosecutor Choi along with Kim, head of the Gongju branch office, who had served as deputy head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 at the time.
When appearing for questioning as a reference witness by the special counsel team, senior prosecutor Choi said, "I have never received any improper instructions or external pressure in conducting and handling the investigation."
