Global Courant
SEOUL – A South Korean court early Wednesday rejected an arrest warrant for the leader of the main opposition party on charges of bribery and dereliction of duty, giving the former presidential candidate a lifeline in his battle for political survival.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled against prosecutors who sought the arrest of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, saying there were insufficient grounds to support their argument that he might try to destroy evidence.
Lee welcomed the decision and thanked the court as he left a shelter shortly after the ruling, which came well after midnight.
“I am deeply grateful to the judiciary for clearly proving that this 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 review of the arrest warrant is part of a process that is not yet over and that the court’s decision does not mean Lee is innocent.
Lee has accused prosecutors of pursuing a politically motivated case against him and denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations “fiction” and a “political conspiracy.”
Lee went on a 24-day hunger strike this month, demanding that President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government correct policy mistakes, including economic mismanagement and not doing enough to stop Japan from releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The arrest of a key opposition leader would have been unprecedented and could have paralyzed Lee’s leadership ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections, in which his party’s retention of the majority is at stake.
Lee narrowly lost in last year’s presidential election to conservative Yoon, a career prosecutor.
Lee entered court Tuesday morning appearing weak and using a cane.
He is accused of asking a company to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea while he was governor of Gyeonggi province.
He is also accused of breaching his duty as a public servant over losses of 20 billion won ($15 million) suffered by a municipal development company while he was mayor of Seongnam, along with other charges.
Some members of Lee’s party voted last week with the conservative ruling party to remove Lee’s immunity from arrest as an MP, sparking criticism of the party. REUTERS
