Prosecutors Clear Former Anti-Corruption Commission Official Over Corruption Investigation Office Indictment Demand

A former planning and coordination director at the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), whose indictment was requested by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) on charges of perjury during a parliamentary audit, has been cleared by prosecutors.

In March, the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (led by Senior Prosecutor Shin Do-wook) issued a non-indictment disposition for former ACRC official Lim, who faced charges of violating the Act on Testimony and Appraisal Before the National Assembly.

Lim was accused of falsely testifying during an appearance as a witness at the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee audit in October 2022, claiming that he had not reported audit matters to the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) after having conveyed them to the BAI in August 2022.

Previously in January, the CIO transferred Lim's case along with its request for prosecutors to indict former BAI Chairman Chae Jae-hee and Audit Commissioner Yoo Byung-ho on charges of illegal acts, such as bypassing the presiding commissioner during the audit of former ACRC Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee.

However, prosecutors concluded that Lim's remarks were merely based on subjective assessment and were difficult to view as perjury contrary to his memory.

Lim reportedly argued that he considered his actions to be cooperation under the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Act, rather than a report constituting an official whistleblower disclosure under the law.

Since its launch in 2021, the CIO has requested prosecutors to indict a total of 8 cases, of which 2 have been concluded with non-indictment dispositions by prosecutors.

In 2022, the CIO requested the indictment of Democratic Party Representative Park Ji-won, a former National Intelligence Service director, on charges of spreading false information regarding former President Yoon Suk Yeol during the presidential election, but prosecutors decided not to indict him.

At the time, prosecutors determined that Park's remarks were difficult to definitively categorize as false information intended to interfere in the election.

The CIO's very first case, involving former Seoul Superintendent of Education Cho Hee-yeon's corruption charges regarding the special recruitment of dismissed teachers, resulted in a definitive Supreme Court ruling in 2024 upholding a prison sentence of 1 year and 6 months suspended for 2 years.

Former Defense Minister Song Young-moo's case concerning allegations of coercing signatures on martial law-related documents was acquitted in the second instance.

The case involving former Busan Superintendent of Education Kim Seok-jun over hiring corruption of dismissed teachers was acquitted in the appellate trial, and the Supreme Court appeal is currently underway.

Regarding the bribery case involving a Grade 3 official at the Board of Audit and Inspection, only bribery charges amounting to approximately 290 million won out of the total 1.58 billion won in alleged bribes were prosecuted, and the insurrection case involving former President Yoon Suk Yeol is currently undergoing appellate proceedings.
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.