South Korean investigators push for arrest of impeached president over no-show
Copyright South Korean Presidential Office/South Korean Presidential Office
Investigators probing South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived declaration of martial law said Monday they had sought an arrest warrant for the suspended president after he failed to report for questioning, News.az reports citing foreign media.
Yoon briefly suspended civilian rule this month, plunging South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.He was stripped of presidential duties by parliament over the action, but a constitutional court ruling is pending on whether to confirm the impeachment.
The conservative leader also faces criminal charges of insurrection, which could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Yoon has been summoned three times by investigators for questioning, but repeatedly refused to present himself -- including by Sunday's deadline.
"The Joint Investigation Headquarters filed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol with the Seoul Western District Court", said the probe team in a statement.
The application by investigators marks the first attempt in the country's history to forcibly detain a president before the impeachment procedure is complete.
Yoon is being investigated by prosecutors as well as a joint team comprising police, defence ministry, and anti-corruption officials.
After the statement, Yoon's lawyers submitted a letter to the district court saying the arrest warrant was "unjustified".
"It was requested by an unauthorized agency and does not meet the requirements for an arrest warrant under the Criminal Procedure Act," lawyer Yoon Kab-keun told reporters.
He added that by law, "an incumbent president cannot be prosecuted for abuse of power".
A 10-page prosecutors' report seen by AFP stated that Yoon authorized the military to fire weapons if needed to enter parliament during his failed martial law bid.
Yoon's lawyer Yoon Kab-keun had dismissed the report, telling AFP it was "a one-sided account that neither corresponds to objective circumstances nor common sense".
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