A group representing retired prosecutors has condemned a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act that strips prosecutors of their direct and supplementary investigative powers, calling it "legislative dictatorship and tyranny" and urging the president to veto it and the Constitutional Court to strike it down.
The Prosecutors' Alumni Association — led by former Prosecutor General Han Sang-dae — issued a statement Sunday denouncing "the legislative dictatorship of the Democratic Party of Korea, which passed the Criminal Procedure Act revision."
The group said the Democratic Party had pushed the bill through "despite opposition from the justice minister and prosecutors, concerns raised by the Supreme Court, and the president's expressed objections," adding that it was passed "without proper deliberation or debate, ignoring the grievances and concerns of crime victims and the overwhelming public opposition — an act of arrogance, obsession, madness and tyranny by the ruling party."
"Who will be held responsible for the countless side effects, the confusion, and the despair and resentment of victims that will follow?" the group said. It urged the president to veto the bill "in accordance with his convictions" and called on the Constitutional Court to eventually rule it unconstitutional.
The group added that if neither happens, "we will resist, oppose and fight alongside conscientious legal professionals, victims' groups and the public," and urged the president to make "a selfless decision" in the face of what it called the Democratic Party's legislative overreach.
The Prosecutors' Alumni Association is a social organization for retired prosecutors. Han, its ninth president, served as director of the prosecution bureau at the Ministry of Justice and as chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office during the Lee Myung-bak administration, then served as prosecutor general from 2011 to 2012. The group has regularly issued statements on major justice and prosecution-related matters.
The Criminal Procedure Act revision passed the National Assembly on Friday under the Democratic Party's leadership. It completely separates investigation from indictment, barring prosecutors from conducting direct investigations.
The revision also abolishes prosecutors' supplementary investigative powers, leaving them only able to request that judicial police officers conduct supplementary investigations. As a result, prosecutors' investigative authority — introduced when the Criminal Procedure Act was first enacted in 1954 and a cornerstone of South Korea's criminal justice system — has been consigned to history after 72 years.
Immediately after the revision passed, acting Prosecutor General Gu Ja-hyeon said he felt "a deep sense of responsibility for the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act" and submitted his resignation.
woo@heraldcorp.com
