Earlier in the day, they filed for an extension with the Seoul Central District Court, as his detention period is set to expire early next week, amid his constant refusal to cooperate with questioning over his botched martial law debacle last month.
But the court dismissed the request, citing a lack of reasonable grounds for prosecutors to continue the investigation, as the case had already been referred by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).
After several failed attempts to investigate Yoon since his arrest last Sunday, the CIO, which is not entitled to indict a suspect, transferred the case to prosecutors the previous day, saying that it would be more effective for prosecutors to take over the case and that any delays could hinder a proper investigation.
But the court explained that the CIO was established to ensure fair and independent probes by separating investigation and prosecution, providing no legal grounds for prosecutors to further investigate the case referred by the CIO.
With the court's rejection, prosecutors are now under pressure to speed up their investigation.
Prosecutors are expected to visit Yoon for questioning as early as this weekend and may consider indicting him during the Lunar New Year holiday, which has just begun its weeklong break.
However, it remains to be seen whether Yoon, who has rejected questioning by the CIO, claiming it is "illegal and invalid," will cooperate with prosecutors.
Yoon, who is currently held in a solitary remand prison in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, is also facing a pending impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court of Korea. The court has been deliberating since mid-December last year on whether to impeach or reinstate him after the National Assembly voted to impeach him over his abrupt declaration of martial law on Dec. 3.
The court has up to 180 days to make its decision.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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