Special counsel refers case on alleged Unification Church-DP ties to police

SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) — A particular counsel workforce stated Tuesday it has transferred to police a case involving allegations that the Unification Church supported Democratic Occasion (DP) politicians forward of the 2022 presidential election, amid criticism that it was conducting a politically biased investigation.

Particular counsel Min Joong-ki’s workforce stated in a press discover that it had referred the preliminary probe to the Nationwide Workplace of Investigation beneath the Nationwide Police Company.

The workforce has confronted criticism from opposition lawmakers for concentrating its inquiry on alleged unlawful political funds linked to Folks Energy Occasion (PPP) lawmakers, regardless of testimony from a former Unification Church official suggesting that DP lawmakers had additionally acquired assist.

Yun Younger-ho, the previous head of the church’s international headquarters, reportedly instructed the workforce he had given tens of hundreds of thousands of gained to 2 DP lawmakers from 2018 to 2020 and claimed the church supported 15 DP politicians by way of political donations, ebook purchases and different means.

The testimony sparked criticisms that Min’s workforce could have performed a biased investigation centered solely on the PPP, as allegations involving the now-ruling DP emerged solely by way of the previous official’s testimony.

The particular counsel workforce, which acknowledged Yun made such claims, stated on the day prior to this the case doesn’t fall throughout the scope of its investigation.

The workforce is tasked with probing corruption allegations surrounding former first woman Kim Keon Hee, the spouse of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and is remitted to stay politically impartial beneath the particular counsel regulation.

The switch of the case to police was seen as an try to deal with considerations of selective investigation and be certain that all associated allegations are reviewed.

Contemplating the statute of limitations for violations of the Political Funds Act is seven years, the case involving funds made in 2018 is about to run out on the finish of this 12 months.

colin@yna.co.kr
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