Former head of the detective division at Gwangsan Police Station [Yonhap]
Former head of the detective division at Gwangsan Police Station [Yonhap]

Police investigating allegations of improper interference and misconduct in the Jang Yun-gi case have refiled an arrest warrant for the former head of the detective division at Gwangju's Gwangsan Police Station, whose initial warrant a court rejected.

The investigative team filed a pre-arrest warrant Tuesday morning against Inspector A, the detective division chief at the time, on charges of abuse of authority and dereliction of duty, according to Yonhap.

Inspector A has been booked and investigated on suspicion of improperly influencing the investigation into Jang Yun-gi — specifically, by pushing for a simple murder charge rather than murder with intent to rape.

The team had first sought a warrant on July 16, concluding that detention was necessary, but the court rejected the application.

The court said at the time that, given the degree to which the collected evidence substantiated the charges, the room for dispute and the progress of the investigation, it could not find sufficient grounds or justification for detention.

Six days after the warrant was rejected, the special investigation unit summoned Inspector A for questioning as a suspect on Monday and again determined that detention was necessary, the team said.

The new application incorporated additional statements from people connected to the original investigation who had been questioned as witnesses, as well as materials obtained through search and seizure.

The investigative team said prosecutors, who are conducting a separate investigation, have not yet filed their own arrest warrant application against Inspector A.

The team also plans to question Sergeant B, a member of the original investigative unit facing charges of leaking official secrets, as a suspect Tuesday.

Sergeant B is accused of tipping off Jang Yun-gi's father — an active-duty police officer — about details of the investigation through multiple phone calls.

Tuesday marks the second time Sergeant B has been questioned as a suspect. Including earlier sessions as a witness, the sergeant has been questioned a total of six times.


husn7@heraldcorp.com