South Korean prosecutors raided the prime minister’s department yesterday over allegations that its officials conducted an illegal investigation into a government critic.
About a dozen investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office searched the offices of a senior official, Lee In-kyu, and three other staffers, Yonhap news agency said.
There was no immediate comment from the Prime Minister’s Office on the operation, the first time the department has been searched by prosecutors.
BRIEF EXCEEDED
Lee, whose job is to investigate public servants, allegedly exceeded his brief and launched a probe into Kim Jong-ik, 56, after the businessman posted a video clip on the Internet critical of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in 2008.
Kim has said Lee In-kyu’s officials ransacked his company, confiscated financial records and forced KB Bank, one of his firm’s main clients, to cut business deals. He said he lost his job as a result.
TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Lee In-kyu’s team is not authorized to investigate private citizens. The affair has made headlines in South Korea, with the opposition claiming the case was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Investigators yesterday secured documents, daily logs and computer files.
Earlier this week, prosecutors banned the four officials from leaving the country.
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