A South Korean court early Thursday approved the brand new arrest of former president Yoon Suk Yeol on charges related to his temporary imposition of martial law in December, accepting a special prosecutor’s claim that he poses a risk of destroying evidence.
The arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court sent Yoon back to a reformatory near the capital, 4 months after his release in March, when the identical court overturned his January arrest and allowed him to face trial for revolt without being held in custody.
His criminal case is being handled by a team of investigators under special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk who’re pursuing additional charges over Yoon’s authoritarian push, including obstructing official duties, abuse of power and falsifying official documents.
Cho’s team questioned him twice before submitting a request for his arrest warrant to the court on Sunday.
Yoon’s lawyers had described the arrest request as excessive and unsubstantiated. They didn’t immediately react to the court’s decision to approve the arrest of Yoon , who was formally faraway from office in April after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment.
Yoon didn’t reply to questions by reporters after arriving on the court on Wednesday afternoon for a hearing to review the special prosecutor’s request. After the hearing lasting about seven hours, Yoon was taken to the reformatory to await the court’s decision.
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Yoon’s recent arrest could mark the start of an prolonged period in custody, potentially lasting months or longer. Yoon may be initially detained at the middle for as much as 20 days, while the special prosecutor will aim to indict him on additional charges.
If Yoon is indicted on recent charges, that might keep him under arrest for as much as six months until an initial court ruling. If that court convicts him and issues a jail term, Yoon would serve that sentence because the case possibly moves as much as higher courts.
The previous conservative leader described his martial law imposition on Dec. 3 as a mandatory step to quash his “anti-state” liberal opponents, accusing them of using their legislative majority to obstruct his agenda. But Yoon’s decree lasted only hours, after a quorum of lawmakers broke through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers on the National Assembly and voted to lift the measure.
Yoon was impeached by lawmakers Dec. 14 and indicted Jan. 26 by public prosecutors who accused him of masterminding an attempted revolt, describing his power grab as an illegal try and seize the legislature and election offices and detain political opponents.
The fees are punishable by the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Yoon also faces accusations of enforcing martial law without following required legal procedure, similar to deliberation by a proper Cabinet meeting, and of unlawfully deploying the presidential security forces like a non-public army to dam an initial attempt by law enforcement to detain him at his residence in early January.
His liberal rival and current President Lee Jae Myung, who won the June snap election to exchange him, last month approved laws to launch sweeping special investigations into Yoon’s martial law debacle and other criminal allegations involving his wife and administration.
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