The Special Counsel team led by Min Joong-ki has requested that the police investigate a bribery case involving a former official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, after the Supreme Court recently finalized a dismissal of the indictment.
The move is intended to allow a legitimate investigative agency to conduct a reinvestigation, as the court ruled that this case did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Special Counsel team.
In a press notice today (June 25), the Special Counsel team stated, "We have submitted a request for investigation to the National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency regarding the bribery charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes against the former Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official, whom the Special Counsel had indicted."
The team explained that this measure follows the spirit of the Special Counsel Act, which stipulates that cases for which the Special Counsel fails to complete the investigation or decide on an indictment within the designated period must be handed over to the National Office of Investigation within three days of the investigation period's expiration.
The Special Counsel team had identified the former official, surnamed Kim, as a key figure in the "Yangpyeong Expressway route change preferential treatment scandal" involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee. While investigating, they uncovered evidence of bribery and indicted him as a separate case.
The charges allege that in 2023, while serving as the Director of the Road Management Bureau at the Wonju Regional Office of Construction and Management, Kim received 35 million won in cash and 1 million won in golf equipment vouchers from the CEO of a construction company, identified as Company A, in exchange for helping the firm secure a contract for a national highway retaining wall construction project.
However, the first and second trials, followed by the Supreme Court yesterday, ruled to dismiss the indictment, stating that Kim's actions did not fall under the scope of investigation defined by the Special Counsel Act.
A dismissal of an indictment is a procedure that terminates a lawsuit without a judgment on guilt or innocence due to reasons such as procedural defects.
If the police decide to proceed with the investigation, it is expected that they will take over the investigation records currently held by the court regarding the former official, Kim.
(Photo: Yonhap News)