Won Hee-ryong Files Quasi-Appeal Over Special Counsel's "Groundless Refusal" to Return Phone

Former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, who is currently under investigation by the second independent counsel team led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young regarding suspicions over the altered route of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway, has filed a quasi-appeal with a court demanding the return of his seized mobile phone.

Won's legal team filed the quasi-appeal with the Seoul Central District Court yesterday (the 11th) asking to cancel the special counsel team's refusal to return the mobile phone.

A quasi-appeal is a legal procedure requesting a court to overturn or modify decisions made by investigative agencies, such as search and seizure operations, or a judge's rulings.

The special counsel team secured Won's mobile phone on the 15th of last month after obtaining a warrant to search Won and his vehicle.

At the time, the warrant included a provision requiring seized items to be returned within 10 days unless there are special circumstances.

However, Won's side protested, calling it unlawful when the special counsel team refused their request for the return of the phone and proceeded with forensic extraction on the 28th of the same month.

Won's attorney argued, "Even conceding a hundred times and assuming the forensic procedure was legal as the special counsel claims, they had already completely copied the phone and should have returned it immediately according to the warrant. Yet they refused to return it without any basis."

The special counsel team countered that the forensic procedure was delayed due to requests and schedule coordination from Won's legal team, which constitutes the "special circumstances" specified in the warrant.

As Won refused to provide the password to his mobile phone, the special counsel team requested the National Forensic Service to unlock it and conducted the selection process without the defense counsel present.

Won is suspected of declaring the cancellation of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project in July 2023 without going through proper review procedures, following suspicions of preferential treatment raised over changes to the highway's terminus for the family of Keonhee.

The original route with its terminus in Yangseo-myeon had even passed a preliminary feasibility study in 2021, but suspicions of preferential treatment arose when the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport reviewed a route with its terminus in Gangsang-myeon in May 2023, where land owned by Keonhee's family is located.

As the controversy grew, Won declared the cancellation of the project in July of that year.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
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