SEOUL: A South Korean court early on Wednesday (Sep 27) rejected an arrest warrant for the leader of the main opposition party on charges of bribery and breach of duty, giving the former presidential contender a lifeline in his fight for political survival.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled against prosecutors who sought Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung’s arrest, saying there were insufficient grounds to support their argument that he may try to destroy evidence.
Lee welcomed the decision and thanked the court as he walked out of a holding centre soon after the ruling, which came well after midnight.
“I give my deepest gratitude to the judiciary for clearly proving that it is the last bastion of human rights,” Lee said.
The criminal charges against Lee have not been dropped. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said the arrest warrant review is part of a process that is not over and the court’s decision does not mean Lee is innocent.
Lee has accused the prosecutors of pursuing a political motivated case against him and denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations “fiction” and a “political conspiracy”.
Lee went on a hunger strike for 24 days this month, demanding that President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government correct policy failures, including economic mismanagement and not doing enough to stop Japan from releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Source: CNA
