Lee Dong-jae, former Channel A reporter. yunhap news
Former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae was released on bail one day before his arrest period expires.
On the 3rd, deputy judge Park Jin-hwan, who was solely responsible for criminal 1 of the Seoul Central District Court, accepted the request from the former reporter and decided on bail. The former reporter is expected to be released as soon as the bail deposit is paid during the day. The former reporter was scheduled to be released due to the expiration of the arrest period on the 4th. The maximum detention period for the first trial is 6 months.
Deputy Judge Park filed the former reporter’s bail request in October of last year and closed the interrogation, but did not make a decision for months. Article 55 of the Criminal Procedure Rule stipulates that “unless there are special circumstances, the court shall make a decision on it within 7 days from the date of receipt of the request for bail or cancellation of arrest.” However, it is later than this that the bail timing is actually decided. This is because if the court judges that there are special circumstances, the decision can be made even after 7 days have passed.
Even so, the former reporter’s decision on bail is quite late. The former reporter, who was arrested on July 17 last year, will be released after 201 days. In the last three years, the average bail review period of the Seoul Central District Court was 33.3 days.
In the case of the former reporter’s trial, there were many situations in which key witnesses did not appear at the trial. Jimo, who reported to MBC, who reported the suspicion of the former reporter, was rejected by the court because it was difficult to determine whereabouts. Channel A reporter Kang Mo, who was the author of the Channel A fact-finding committee report, was also unable to determine the location.
Former reporter Lee sent a letter to former Value Invest Korea (VIK) CEO Lee Chul, who was the major shareholder of Shillazen, and said that his family could be subject to prosecution investigations, and was charged with attempting to receive reports of corruption by passport personnel. This case was initially referred to as a’prosecutor’s office’ when suspicion that Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon had colluded with former reporter was raised, but the prosecution prosecutors accused the former reporter, and there were many charges of collusion with one prosecutor. The prosecution’s investigation team has concluded that one prosecutor is not charged, but Seoul Central District Prosecutor General Lee Seong-yoon is not making a decision.
Reporter Lee Ga-young [email protected]