Seoul, Feb 28 South Korean prosecutors raided the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on Friday over suspicions that it tried to conceal a court's initial denial of search warrants for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition.
Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office raided the CIO's headquarters to secure evidence related to the allegations, according to officials.
The search came after Yoon's lawyers recently claimed that the CIO had requested search warrants against Yoon from the Seoul Central District Court, but the court denied the request.
Later, the CIO separately filed for a detention warrant with the Seoul Western District Court, which issued it, leading to the detention of Yoon in January.
Yoon's lawyers claimed that the CIO intentionally shifted to the Seoul Western District Court for the detention warrant to increase the chances of obtaining it.
Yoon's side filed a complaint against the CIO's chief, claiming that the CIO responded negatively to a ruling party lawmaker's question about whether it had sought search warrants against Yoon from the central district court.
The anti-corruption investigation office, however, refuted such claims, claiming that it sought the warrant from the Seoul Western District Court only because the presidential residence is located under the court's jurisdiction, Yonhap news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the South Korean Constitutional Court is expected to decide whether to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office or reinstate him around mid-March.
The court capped the trial after 11 rounds, 73 days after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon over his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.
The impeachment motion accuses Yoon of violating the Constitution and laws by declaring martial law in the absence of a national emergency and ignoring due procedures, such as holding a Cabinet meeting and notifying the Parliament.
Yoon has argued his declaration of martial law was an act of governance meant to send a warning to the Opposition party over its repeated impeachments of government officials and attempts to cut the government budget.
If Yoon, who was elected in May 2022 for a single, five-year term, is formally removed from office, a snap election will be held within 60 days. However, if the impeachment is dismissed, Yoon will immediately resume his duties.
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