Lee's absence unlikely to affect court's decision on whether to issue arrest warrant
- 6 years ago
A Seoul court will have a hearing on Thursday over whether to issue an arrest warrant for former President Lee Myung-bak.
But Lee, who is accused of corruption,... said he will not be present at the hearing,... claiming to have explained himself fully during last week's interrogation.
According to our Park Hee-jun, whether or not Lee attends won't have much influence on the session's outcome.
Former President Lee Myung-bak says he will not attend his own hearing,... where the Seoul Central District Court is set to decide on Thursday,... whether to issue an arrest warrant for the ex-president.
Lee said through his staff Tuesday that he doesn't feel the need to attend,... since he has already explained himself during last week's marathon questioning session.
Instead, Lee's lawyers will be present to reiterate his innocence.
The defendant's absence is usually disadvantageous for the defendant, but in this case,... the prosecutors' office says there's already a high possibility of an arrest warrant being issued-- even if Lee had decided to attend the hearing.
And experts agree with that assessment.
"Considering the amount of evidence,... whether he attends or not won't affect the court's decision."
Under normal circumstances, a hearing is carried out by the judge questioning the defendant.
But with Lee's absence,... the court is likely to proceed without further hearings,... instead going over the interrogation records and other evidence from the investigation.
The court is expected to decide as soon as Thursday night-- immediately after the court review,... whether to issue the warrant.
And if it does,... Lee Myung-bak will be the fourth former South Korean leader to face arrest for corruption.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.
But Lee, who is accused of corruption,... said he will not be present at the hearing,... claiming to have explained himself fully during last week's interrogation.
According to our Park Hee-jun, whether or not Lee attends won't have much influence on the session's outcome.
Former President Lee Myung-bak says he will not attend his own hearing,... where the Seoul Central District Court is set to decide on Thursday,... whether to issue an arrest warrant for the ex-president.
Lee said through his staff Tuesday that he doesn't feel the need to attend,... since he has already explained himself during last week's marathon questioning session.
Instead, Lee's lawyers will be present to reiterate his innocence.
The defendant's absence is usually disadvantageous for the defendant, but in this case,... the prosecutors' office says there's already a high possibility of an arrest warrant being issued-- even if Lee had decided to attend the hearing.
And experts agree with that assessment.
"Considering the amount of evidence,... whether he attends or not won't affect the court's decision."
Under normal circumstances, a hearing is carried out by the judge questioning the defendant.
But with Lee's absence,... the court is likely to proceed without further hearings,... instead going over the interrogation records and other evidence from the investigation.
The court is expected to decide as soon as Thursday night-- immediately after the court review,... whether to issue the warrant.
And if it does,... Lee Myung-bak will be the fourth former South Korean leader to face arrest for corruption.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.