Special Counsel Seeks Arrest Of South Korean Ex-President Yoon For Martial Law Bid
SEOUL, July 6 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- A special counsel sought a warrant on Sunday to arrest former President Yoon Suk Yeol over allegations related to his declaration of martial law, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The independent counsel, led by Cho Eun-suk, filed an arrest warrant request with the Seoul Central District Court against Yoon for alleged abuse of power, falsification of official documents, violation of the Presidential Security Act and obstruction of special official duties, among other charges, in connection with his declaration of martial law on Dec 3, according to officials from the counsel team.
The specific reasons for the warrant request were not disclosed.
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The counsel has conducted an intensive investigation into Yoon over insurrection and other charges since its launch last month. Most recently, Yoon was summoned and underwent several hours of questioning on Saturday.
Yoon has completely denied the allegations during in-person interrogations, raising concerns about possible destruction of evidence or collusion with accomplices, according to the officials.
Yoon is alleged to have attempted to block investigators from executing a court warrant to detain him in January. He is also suspected of directing the Presidential Security Service to delete records from secure phones used by several military commanders following his failed martial law bid.
The investigation has further focused on suspicions that Yoon had hastily convened a Cabinet meeting on the night of the martial law declaration to meet the quorum required to enforce the decree.
The treason charge, however, was not included in the warrant.
The former president is alleged to have ordered a military drone operations unit to deploy drones over Pyongyang to fabricate a justification for declaring martial law.
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