[Anchor]
Learning that a fraudster had fled, victims desperately called investigative authorities, only to have the police and prosecutors point fingers at each other. Frustrated by the inaction, the victims eventually set out to track him down themselves.
This is an exclusive report by An Huijae.
[Reporter]
Shocked to hear that the fraudster, surnamed Park, had fled even though they believed he was behind bars, victims called the police officer in charge, only to receive an absurd response.
[Victim & Police Investigator (Phone call on August 19): (What happens if he runs away, what if he smuggles himself out of the country?) .... How are we supposed to stop him from smuggling himself out? How could we possibly prevent smuggling?]
The officer argued that they had already transferred most of the fraud cases, shifting the responsibility to the prosecutors and the court.
[Victim & Police Investigator (Phone call on August 19): For cases like the one involving Mr. O, it is not my case. Ask the prosecutor where he is and tell them to catch him. The responsibility lies with the court that initially released him with a three-year suspended sentence, and with the prosecution for failing to take action...]
The prosecutors, however, had a different explanation.
They bounced the ball back to the police, noting that it was the police who had obtained the arrest warrant for Park.
[Victim & Prosecution Official (Phone call on September 1): Since these are separate cases, they have nothing to do with us right now. The police officer probably knows better than anyone else.]
Disappointed by this back-and-forth between the police and prosecutors, the victims went looking for Park's family themselves, leading to a commotion that prompted the police to be dispatched to the scene.
[Responding Police Officer (September 2): Since the law isn't playing its proper role, you have come here yourselves to deliver justice, but you could still end up punished for trespassing. The law, well, at times like this...]
[Lim Seo-yeon / Luxury Goods Purchase Fraud Victim: It felt like a ping-pong game, with them trying to dodge responsibility. It was always, "It's not us," and "It's not us either." They gave him all the time he needed to hide and escape. Why should we be the ones forced to hunt him down...]
When asked about where the responsibility lies, grumbling emerged from within the police asking why prosecutors were not taking proactive steps, claiming prosecutors were turning a blind eye to livelihood crimes ahead of the implementation of the amended Criminal Procedure Act. Meanwhile, a prosecution official stated in principle that since the suspect was originally incarcerated, they were investigating according to procedures based on a case forwarded without detention.
(Video Editing: Kim Jin-won, VJ: No Jaemin, Design: Yang Kitae, Kim Min-young)
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