Court delays South Korea President Lee's election law violation hearing
A Seoul court said on Monday it will indefinitely postpone a trial of President Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating election law in 2022.
South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in May, before Lee was elected, that Lee had violated election law by publicly making "false statements" during his 2022 presidential bid, and sent the case back to an appeals court.
The Seoul High Court, which had scheduled a hearing for the case on June 18, said on Monday that it will postpone the hearing "to be decided later" without a date, a court spokesperson confirmed.
Lee's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The court said its decision to postpone the hearing was due to "Constitution Article 84", without elaborating.
South Korea's Constitution, Article 84, says a sitting president is "not subject to criminal prosecution while in office" for most crimes.
However, legal experts are divided on whether that applies to ongoing trials that were already prosecuted before a president was elected.
The National Court Administration under the Supreme Court gave as its opinion that judges of each court where Lee's trials are being held will have to decide whether to stop or proceed, according to its statement to a lawmaker in May.
"The court in charge of hearing the case will determine whether Article 84 of the Constitution should be applied to a criminal defendant who was elected in the presidential election," the statement said.
Lee's ruling Democratic Party, which controls parliament, is planning to pass a bill this week which suspends ongoing trials for the incumbent president, local broadcaster KBS reported on Monday.
The Constitutional Court may be asked to rule whether the bill is unconstitutional, legal experts have said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dubai Eye
3 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Court delays South Korea President Lee's election law violation hearing
A Seoul court said on Monday it will indefinitely postpone a trial of President Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating election law in 2022. South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in May, before Lee was elected, that Lee had violated election law by publicly making "false statements" during his 2022 presidential bid, and sent the case back to an appeals court. The Seoul High Court, which had scheduled a hearing for the case on June 18, said on Monday that it will postpone the hearing "to be decided later" without a date, a court spokesperson confirmed. Lee's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The court said its decision to postpone the hearing was due to "Constitution Article 84", without elaborating. South Korea's Constitution, Article 84, says a sitting president is "not subject to criminal prosecution while in office" for most crimes. However, legal experts are divided on whether that applies to ongoing trials that were already prosecuted before a president was elected. The National Court Administration under the Supreme Court gave as its opinion that judges of each court where Lee's trials are being held will have to decide whether to stop or proceed, according to its statement to a lawmaker in May. "The court in charge of hearing the case will determine whether Article 84 of the Constitution should be applied to a criminal defendant who was elected in the presidential election," the statement said. Lee's ruling Democratic Party, which controls parliament, is planning to pass a bill this week which suspends ongoing trials for the incumbent president, local broadcaster KBS reported on Monday. The Constitutional Court may be asked to rule whether the bill is unconstitutional, legal experts have said.
Filipino Times
11 hours ago
- Filipino Times
Escudero rejects pressure to fast-track VP Duterte impeachment trial: 'We will follow the Constitution'
Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero dismissed mounting calls to expedite the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, asserting that the Senate will adhere strictly to its constitutional procedures and timeline. Escudero reaffirmed that the Senate is set to hear the articles of impeachment from the House of Representatives and formally convene as an impeachment court on June 11, as scheduled. 'I've said this from the beginning: Whether someone is for or against the impeachment, whether they support VP Sara or oppose her — I will not listen to them,' he said in Filipino during a press briefing. 'I will do what is right, proper, and in accordance with the Constitution and the law, based on what I believe is right.' The Senate leader made the statement when asked whether he felt pressure from various groups urging immediate Senate action. Among those demanding swift proceedings are the Akbayan Party, the Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party, and Tindig Pilipinas, who held a rally outside the Senate on Monday to push lawmakers to fulfill their constitutional duty. 'They want us to rush our constitutional duty,' Escudero said.'But the Senate will not be swayed by public pressure or political noise.' Senator Jinggoy Estrada earlier also assured the public that the Senate will proceed with the trial, denying rumors that it would be abandoned. Escudero emphasized that the upper chamber's responsibility is to uphold the Constitution, not respond to political pressure, and that due process will be observed throughout the proceedings.
Filipino Times
11 hours ago
- Filipino Times
78% of Filipinos support impeachment trial for VP Sara Duterte — OCTA survey
A majority of Filipinos support subjecting Vice President Sara Duterte to an impeachment trial, according to a new national survey conducted by OCTA Research. The survey, conducted from April 20 to 24, revealed that 78% of respondents favor the conduct of a Senate impeachment trial for Duterte, while 13% oppose it and 9% remain undecided or expressed no opinion. Regional and Demographic Breakdown Support for the impeachment trial was strongest in the Visayas (87%), followed by the National Capital Region (83%), Mindanao (77%), and Balance Luzon (73%). Notably, unanimous support was recorded in the Cordillera Administrative Region (100%), while high levels of support were also observed in Western Visayas (95%) and the Davao Region (95%). Disagreement was relatively low across most regions, though notable dissent was seen in Zamboanga Peninsula (34%), CARAGA (25%), Central Mindanao (25%), CALABARZON (21%), and BARMM (20%). Support remained consistently high across all socio-economic classes, with the strongest backing from adults aged 25–34 (84%) and 65–74 (82%). OCTA also noted that 91% of Filipinos are aware of the impeachment case filed against Vice President Duterte. Background and Legal Developments The impeachment complaint, signed by 215 members of the House of Representatives in February, accuses Duterte of graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes. While the House transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate the same day, the upper chamber deferred its deliberation, with Senate President Chiz Escudero saying the reading of the complaint was postponed to June 11, ahead of Congress' sine die adjournment on June 13. Vice President Duterte has publicly welcomed the opportunity to address the allegations, stating she is 'thankful for the chance to clear her name.' However, she has also filed a petition before the Supreme Court, seeking to block the impeachment trial on constitutional grounds. A separate Social Weather Stations–Stratbase poll released on May 29 found that 88% of Filipinos believe Duterte should directly respond to the charges and clarify issues of corruption.
