Prosecutors Reject Arrest Warrant for Cha Ga-won Again; Legal Counsel Says, "I'd Stake My Career on This"

The prosecution has once again rejected a request for an arrest warrant for Cha Ga-won, Chairman of One Hundred Label, who is accused of fraud amounting to 30 billion won.

According to legal circles on June 18, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office returned the arrest warrant request filed by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Financial Crime Investigation Unit, which accused Chairman Cha of fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes, and demanded further investigation.

This marks the second time the warrant has been rejected. The police initially requested an arrest warrant for Chairman Cha earlier this month, but the prosecution returned it with a request for supplementary investigation. After conducting additional inquiries, the police resubmitted the warrant request on June 15.

Chairman Cha is accused of receiving 24.2 billion won in advance payments after proposing a business project utilizing the intellectual property (IP) of artists under his label to the listed company Nomus, only to fail to fulfill the terms of the contract. It is reported that the police are also investigating separate fraud allegations related to a 5 billion won jeonse (lump-sum housing lease) contract. The total damages identified by the police are estimated to be around 30 billion won.

The police are focusing their investigation on whether Chairman Cha signed the contract and received the large advance payment despite knowing that the project was difficult to execute. In contrast, Chairman Cha's side has countered that the case is a matter of civil breach of contract rather than a criminal offense.

Attorney Hyun Dong-yeop of the law firm Hwageum, who represents Chairman Cha and had previously expressed confidence by stating, "I would stake my career as a lawyer on this" following the initial warrant request, issued a statement claiming, "The rejection of this warrant reveals the negative consequences of the concentration of investigative power in the police following the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act."

He further stated, "I express my respect for the prosecution's accurate judgment as a representative of the public interest. An unlawful investigation premised on detention and referral was conducted even though the initial complaint did not constitute a crime. As seen in the case involving HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, I express my concern over the repetitive practice of requesting warrants by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's regional investigation unit."



(Reported by Kang Kyung-yoon, SBS Entertainment News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.