S. Korea Police Refuse To Arrest Impeached Pres.
(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA))
TOKYO, Jan 6 (KUNA) -- The South Korean Police effectively refused to execute the warrant to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday, citing legal controversy over a document forwarded to them by the nation's anti-corruption body, public broadcaster KBS reported from Seoul.
Baek Dong-heum, the deputy chief of the special police team in charge of the December 3 martial law case, said an internal review of a document that the corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) sent at 7 a.m. (2200 Sunday GMT) concluded that the document is legally controversial.
In the document, the CIO said it will entrust the police with duties related to the execution of the arrest warrant. Baek said the team will continue to consult with the CIO on the matter, adding that his team is carrying out its investigation in compliance with the law as part of a joint team comprising investigators from the CIO and the police.
The warrant will expire at 12 a.m. (1500 GMT) Tuesday, but the CIO plans to request an extension on Monday, according to the report.
Tensions between rival camps escalated further as the arrest warrant for Yoon is set to expire. Ruling People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers gathered in front of the presidential residence in Seoul in Monday's early hours to stop authorities from executing the warrant, accusing the CIO of damaging judicial fairness.
They denounced the CIO for seeking to arrest Yoon, saying it has no legal grounds to investigate the president on suspicion of treason.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP), meanwhile, criticized the CIO's decision to entrust the police with the task of executing the arrest warrant. DP chair Lee Jae-myung denounced Acting President Choi Sang-mok for failing to instruct the Presidential Security Service to cooperate by permitting Yoon's arrest. (end)
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