Justice Must mister Claims President Lee Had Nothing to do with Appeal Withdrawal Decision in Criminal Trial

Anyone believe this claim?:

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho denied Monday that President Lee Jae Myung had any part in the prosecution’s recent decision to not appeal a high-profile development corruption case stemming from his time as mayor of Seongnam.

Jung made the remark as he arrived for work at the justice ministry in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, as controversy has flared up over the prosecution’s failure to appeal the case by last Friday’s deadline, which critics allege was a result of government interference. (……)

The development corruption case centers on allegations that a small number of unheard-of private asset management companies, including Hwacheon Daeyu, were allowed to reap astronomical investment profits from a real estate development project in Seongnam’s Daejang-dong district in 2015, when Lee was the city’s mayor.

Lee stood trial on charges of inflicting losses to Seongnam Development Corp., which was in charge of the project, before a court indefinitely postponed his trial following his presidential election victory in June.

In a separate trial, however, a district court sentenced Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., and Kim Man-bae, a major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, to eight-year prison terms each on charges, including breach of duty, on Oct. 31.

Three other suspects were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to six years.

Yonhap

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