Complaint Over Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's Official Expense Allegations Assigned to Seoul Heavy Crimes Investigation Agency's Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau

The Heavy Crimes Investigation Agency (HCIA) has assigned a case regarding allegations of false reporting in Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's official expense accounts and has begun reviewing the legal principles.

The Seoul Regional Heavy Crimes Investigation Agency assigned the case today (the 19th) to its Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau regarding the complaint filed by the civic group Citizens' Action for Justice (CAJ) against Chief Justice Cho and Roh Kyung-pil, Minister of the National Court Administration.

Previously on the 16th, CAJ filed a complaint against them on charges of abuse of authority to obstruct business, professional breach of trust, and loss of state funds under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes, calling it "a typical corruption case involving high-ranking public officials."

In August of this year, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced the results of a regular audit stating that the Supreme Court purchased about 100 million won worth of wine using official expenses from 2022 to last year while unclearly recording the purpose of use.

The ruling party also raised suspicions that Chief Justice Cho inflated the number of attendees when paying for meals with official expenses.

The National Court Administration maintains that the headcount was incorrectly written due to a clerical error by working-level staff and that Chief Justice Cho was not involved.

During a National Assembly confirmation hearing on the 14th, HCIA Chief Kim Ji-yong also stated regarding the suspicions surrounding Chief Justice Cho, "If a complaint is filed, I believe an investigation is possible."

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