Latest news with #specialProsecutors
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
South Korea court to hold July 9 hearing on former leader Yoon's detention warrant
SEOUL: A Seoul court plans to hold a hearing on Wednesday to review a request by special prosecutors to detain former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a court official said on Monday. The special counsel team investigating Yoon's martial law declaration in December has filed a request to the Seoul Central District Court to detain Yoon on allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. Yoon has been accused of mobilizing presidential guards to stop authorities from arresting him in January. He eventually was taken into custody but released from jail after 52 days on technical grounds. The special prosecution that kicked off its investigation after new leader Lee Jae Myung was elected in June has been looking into additional charges against Yoon, who is already on trial for insurrection related to his short-lived martial law. The detention warrant request was made on the grounds of the risk of him being a flight risk and concerns that he might interfere with witnesses linked to his case, local media reported, citing a special prosecutors' request. Yoon's lawyers have rejected the allegations against him.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Korea prosecutors file request to detain ex-President Yoon
By Cynthia Kim and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean special prosecutors filed a new request on Sunday to detain former President Yoon Suk Yeol, a day after he appeared before them for questioning over his declaration of martial law last year. Yoon, who is facing a criminal trial on insurrection charges over the martial law declaration in December, was arrested in January after resisting authorities trying to take him into custody, but was released after 52 days on technical grounds. "Detention request is related to allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice," the special prosecutors investigating the declaration said in a statement. The spokesperson for the special prosecutors declined to elaborate when asked why the detention request was submitted, saying they would explain it in court proceedings to decide on whether it should be granted. Yoon's lawyers said in a statement that the special prosecutors had not provided credible evidence for the charges they were seeking, and his legal team would "explain in court that the request for an arrest warrant is unreasonable". Yoon has been accused of mobilizing presidential guards to stop authorities from arresting him in January, but the court has previously dismissed the request for an arrest warrant after Yoon had initially refused to appear for questioning. Yoon was ousted in April by the Constitutional Court, which upheld his impeachment by parliament for a martial law bid that shocked a country that had prided itself on becoming a thriving democracy after overcoming military dictatorship in the 1980s. The December 3 decree had been lifted after about six hours when lawmakers, who had been forced to scale the walls of the assembly building to make it through a ring of security forces, voted the decree down. The former president is fighting the charges against him that include masterminding insurrection, which is punishable by death or life in prison. He rejects the allegations. The special prosecutor was appointed just days after liberal President Lee Jae-myung took office on June 4, following his victory in a snap election called after Yoon's ouster, and leads a team of more than 200 lawyers and investigators. Yoon attended hours of questioning by prosecutors on Saturday.
South China Morning Post
18 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South Korean prosecutors request detention for ex-president Yoon
South Korean special prosecutors filed a new request on Sunday to detain former president Yoon Suk-yeol, a day after he appeared before them for questioning over his declaration of martial law last year. Yoon, who is facing a criminal trial on insurrection charges over the martial law declaration in December, was arrested in January after resisting authorities trying to take him into custody, but was released after 52 days on technical grounds. 'Detention request is related to allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice,' the special prosecutors investigating the declaration said in a statement. The spokesperson for the special prosecutors declined to elaborate when asked why the detention request was submitted, saying they would explain it in court proceedings to decide on whether it should be granted. Yoon's lawyers said in a statement that the special prosecutors had not provided credible evidence for the charges they were seeking, and his legal team would 'explain in court that the request for an arrest warrant is unreasonable'. Park Jong-joon, former head of the Presidential Security Service (PSS), appears at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office to be questioned by a special counsel team over former president Yoon's insurrection charges in connection with his martial law declaration on Friday. Photo: EPA Yoon has been accused of mobilising presidential guards to stop authorities from arresting him in January, but the court has previously dismissed the request for an arrest warrant after Yoon had initially refused to appear for questioning.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Korean prosecutors in bid to detain ex-president
South Korean special prosecutors have filed a request to detain former president Yoon Suk-yeol on charges related to insurrection from when he declared martial law. "Detention request is related to allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice," a statement released on Sunday from the special counsel of prosecutors investigating the December 3 incident said. Yoon's martial law decree was lifted about six hours after it was announced when lawmakers, who had been forced to scale the walls of the assembly building to make it through a ring of security forces, voted the decree down. Yoon was summoned on Saturday for hours of questioning by the special counsel as part of the probe over the insurrection charges, according to the counsel officials. Yoon's lawyer was not immediately available for comment on Sunday.
