South Korean lawmaker Han Dong-hoon has labeled the recently passed “fabricated prosecution special counsel act” a “380 billion won defense fund,” arguing it amounts to using taxpayer money to pay for an individual’s legal defense.
Han, in a Facebook post on the 8th, called the bill de facto embezzlement of public funds
, stating it is a law for Lee Jae-myung’s privileges, a 380 billion won defense fund
.
The 380 billion won figure comes from a cost estimate by the National Assembly Budget and Policy Office, which projected a total cost of 380.56 billion won for the special counsel’s appointment and duties.
This amount includes 15.53 billion won in personnel costs, 15.199 billion won in operational expenses, 1.504 billion won in facility costs, and 5.851 billion won for office rent. It is the largest of the seven special counsels to be pushed forward since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office.
Han Dong-hoon argued that if President Lee’s side wishes to claim the prosecution’s investigation and indictment were fabricated, they should fight it out in the ongoing criminal trials by hiring their own lawyers with private funds. President Lee should do that with his own money. Every defendant in this country except for President Lee does it that way
, Han stated.
He further criticized the bill, saying They don’t even know what to investigate, so they’ll obviously just have to twiddle their thumbs, yet they’re spending 380 billion won of taxpayer money. It’s de facto embezzlement of national funds
.
The “fabricated prosecution special counsel act” is a bill aimed at investigating whether any fabrication or illegal acts occurred during the investigations and indictments by the prosecution and other authorities during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The scope of the investigation includes several cases related to President Lee, such as the Daejang-dong, Wiryeseong, and Baekhyeon-dong development projects, the North Korea remittance case, and the Seongnam FC case, among others.
