Senior judge arrested over bribery.
The prosecution urgently arrested an incumbent senior judge on Thursday on suspicion of taking bribes from Nature Republic founder Jung Woon-ho in a widening probe into a high-profile corruption scandal plaguing the justice system.
The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office arrested the 56-year-old judge at around 2:30 a.m., identified only by his surname Kim, without a warrant, citing his unstable mental state. The arrest came 17 hours after the prosecutors grilled him over his ties with the 50-year-old business tycoon.
An “urgent” arrest can be made in only exceptional cases where there are risks of suspects fleeing or being mentally unstable. The prosecution needs to apply for a warrant within 48 hours to formally arrest him.
The senior judge is suspected of buying a secondhand SUV, which had been owned by Jung, at a below market price and being paid back a portion of the money from the purchase in 2014.
Kim and Jung were allegedly close and went on a trip to Vietnam together. The travel expenses were mostly covered by Jung, the prosecution said.
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