South Korean prosecutors have submitted a second request to extend President Yoon Suk-yeol's detention beyond its initial period, following a Seoul court's rejection of their initial plea, Yonhap reported on Saturday.
Citing precedent, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stated in a press release that the prosecution's right to conduct supplementary investigations into cases referred by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is recognized, justifying their renewed request.
The initial request for an extension was made on Thursday, after the CIO, which had already investigated President Yoon's case, transferred it to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
However, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that the prosecution lacked sufficient grounds to continue investigating Yoon's case, stating that they only needed to decide whether to indict the president.
Under South Korean law, investigation and indictment are separated to ensure fairness in legal proceedings.
The prosecution is expected to indict President Yoon on charges of insurrection and other offenses this weekend while he remains in detention.
On January 19, a warrant was issued by another court to keep Yoon in custody for up to 20 days, including the arrest period, marking the first time a sitting president in the country has been formally arrested.
The CIO and the prosecution have agreed to jointly investigate the insurrection charge by questioning the impeached president over a period of ten days each.
President Yoon was apprehended at the presidential office on January 15, becoming the first acting leader in the nation's history to be arrested.
His presidential powers have been suspended since December 14 of last year, when a motion to impeach him was passed by the National Assembly and forwarded to the Constitutional Court for deliberation, a process that can take up to 180 days.
Yoon Suk-yeol is accused of being a leading figure in an attempted insurrection. On the night of December 3 last year, he declared martial law, a move that was swiftly revoked by the National Assembly just hours later.
Reference(s):
Prosecutors seek to extend Yoon's detention after martial law probe
cgtn.com
