South Korea: Special counsel seeks warrant to arrest ex-President Yoon in martial law case

Seoul, July 6 (IANS) A special counsel sought a warrant Sunday to arrest former President Yoon Suk Yeol over allegations related to his declaration of martial law, officials said.

The independent counsel, led by Cho Eun-suk, filed an arrest warrant request with the Seoul Central District Court against Yoon for alleged abuse of power, falsification of official documents, violation of the Presidential Security Act and obstruction of special official duties, among other charges, in connection with his declaration of martial law on December 3, according to officials from the counsel team.

The specific reasons for the warrant request were not disclosed, Yonhap news agency reported.

The counsel has conducted an intensive investigation into Yoon over insurrection and other charges since its launch last month. Most recently, Yoon was summoned and underwent several hours of questioning on Saturday.

Yoon has completely denied the allegations during in-person interrogations, raising concerns about possible destruction of evidence or collusion with accomplices, according to the officials.

Yoon is alleged to have attempted to block investigators from executing a court warrant to detain him in January. He is also suspected of directing the Presidential Security Service to delete records from secure phones used by several military commanders following his failed martial law bid.

The investigation has further focused on suspicions that Yoon had hastily convened a Cabinet meeting on the night of the martial law declaration to meet the quorum required to enforce the decree.

The treason charge, however, was not included in the warrant.

The former president is alleged to have ordered a military drone operations unit to deploy drones over Pyongyang to fabricate a justification for declaring martial law.

"The treason allegation is still under investigation. As a significant portion of the inquiry remains, it was not included in the arrest warrant," Deputy Special Counsel Park Ji-young told a press briefing.

Yoon's side pushed back, calling the move "excessive and unwarranted."

"We have fully explained the allegations and made it clear that no crime can be established under the law," Yoon's legal team said in a statement. "The special counsel has not presented any objective evidence."

Yoon was detained on January 15, after ignoring three summonses from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which was investigating the martial law incident. He was then formally arrested, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to be taken into custody.

But the Seoul Central District Court accepted Yoon's request to cancel the arrest, and he was released on March 8 after 52 days in detention.

--IANS

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