The court rejected the prosecutor's request to extend the detention of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. No grounds were found to keep the leader in custody for another 10 days.
This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Yonhap.
The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is conducting the investigation, transferred the case to the prosecutor's office on Thursday, January 23, and requested that charges of rebellion and abuse of power be brought against Yoon.
The Attorney General stated that the detention period for the suspended head of state should end around January 28. They expect prosecutors to approach the court to request an extension of another 10 days before officially charging the president.
However, the Seoul Central District Court on Friday, January 24, dismissed the prosecutor's request, citing a lack of sufficient grounds to continue the investigation under the prosecutor's authority since the case had already been handed over to the prosecutor's office.
According to the law, a suspect can be detained for up to 10 days, with a possible extension of another 10 days. The head of state was arrested on Sunday, January 19.
Yoon's lawyers consistently argue that the CIO does not have the authority to handle his case, as the law specifies a wide range of high-ranking officials and offenses that it can investigate, but does not mention rebellion.
They also stated that any criminal investigation should be conducted only after the Constitutional Court decides whether to suspend Yoon from office in a separate impeachment trial.
On Friday, the lawyers issued a statement welcoming the court's decision, claiming that the CIO's investigation was illegal, and called for the prosecutor's office to resume the investigation.
The President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared a state of emergency in the country on December 3. This move was an attempt by the head of state to restrict opposition activities and impose media censorship.
The decision triggered a political crisis accompanied by protests in Seoul. The parliament and government did not support the president's decision. Later, Yoon revoked the state of emergency, which lasted about six hours.
On December 14, the Korean parliament impeached Yoon and suspended him from his duties.
On January 15, law enforcement officials detained Yoon on their second attempt and placed him in Seoul Detention Center.
On January 18, the court issued a warrant for the official arrest of the president.