SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s anti-corruption agency, which is leading a criminal investigation into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived state of emergency, said on Thursday it would transfer the case to the prosecutor’s office for indictment.
The Office of Corruption Investigation for Senior Officials (CIO), which does not have the power to prosecute the president, will request that prosecutors indict Yoon on charges that he was the ringleader of the rebellion, abusing his authority and obstructing others from exercising their rights, the statement said.
Yoon has been in jail since last week as investigators probed his attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3, a move that shocked the nation and beyond, although it was overturned by parliament within hours.
The CIO was launched in 2021 as an independent anti-bribery agency to investigate high-ranking officials, including the president and members of their families, and has led a joint team that includes the police and the defense ministry, while prosecutors conduct their own investigation.
But with limited powers of investigation and prosecution, the CIO does not have the authority to prosecute the president and must refer each case to the prosecutor’s office for further action.
Yoon’s lawyers have repeatedly said the CIO has no authority to handle his case because the law prescribes an extensive list of high-ranking officials and violations it can investigate, but does not mention rebellion.
