SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors on Saturday (Jan 25) again asked for an extension of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s detention over his failed martial law bid, after a Seoul court rejected a previous demand, Yonhap news agency reported.
Yoon was arrested in a dawn raid last week on insurrection charges, becoming the first sitting South Korean head of state to be detained in a criminal probe.
His martial law decree only lasted about six hours before it was voted down by lawmakers, who forced their way into parliament, but it still managed to plunge South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.
A court issued a warrant for his arrest last week, saying there was a risk he would destroy evidence, but investigators have said that the original document expires on Tuesday.
Late Friday, the Seoul Central District Court turned down a request by investigators to extend his detention until Feb 6, saying it was “difficult to find sufficient grounds”, prosecutors said in a statement.
Just hours later, prosecutors filed a new request, Yonhap reported.
They must now decide whether to charge him with “leading an insurrection and abuse of power”, as recommended by the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which has handed the case over to them.
Source: CNA
