Ministry of Justice: 'Full Preparations for Follow-up Measures to Revised Criminal Procedure Act… Quickly Prepare Subordinate Statutes'

Regarding the promulgation bill for the partial amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, which completely abolishes prosecutors' direct investigative powers, passing the Cabinet meeting today (the 4th), the Ministry of Justice stated that it will "make thorough preparations for follow-up measures."

Through a press notice, the Ministry emphasized, "We will continuously monitor the situation so that the new criminal justice system can be well-established in a direction that realizes justice and protects victims."

The revised Criminal Procedure Act includes provisions deleting the legal basis for prosecutors' direct investigative powers, such as the direct recognition of cases, as well as supplementary investigative powers regarding transferred cases.

However, prosecutors are allowed to request supplementary investigations from judicial police officers.

Once the new Criminal Procedure Act takes effect, the subject of investigation will be unified under the police, and prosecutors will be solely responsible for indicting and maintaining prosecutions.

The Ministry of Justice explained, "This revised law is scheduled to take effect in line with the launch of the Prosecution Service and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency on October 2," adding that it plans to swiftly prepare amendments for subordinate statutes such as investigative rules and related laws to ensure they take effect on time, and proceed with legislative procedures including legislative notice.

In addition, the Ministry added that it will consult with related ministries to draw up an organizational structure and budget plan that will enable the Prosecution Service to perform its functions without disruption.

The Ministry stated, "Starting October 2, we will faithfully fulfill our role as a prosecuting agency—including indictment and prosecution maintenance, execution of sentences, and recovery of criminal proceeds—regarding livelihood crimes and transferred serious crime cases."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.