The police decided to conclude the case of the late former lawmaker Jang Je-won, who was found dead while under investigation for sexual violence charges, as 'no prosecution rights exist.'
Park Hyun-soo, acting chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, noted at a press conference on the 7th, 'Former lawmaker Jang has passed away, so we plan to make a decision on no prosecution rights soon.'
According to Article 108 of the Police Investigation Rules, if a suspect dies, the police will conclude the investigation and decide not to prosecute on the grounds of 'no prosecution rights.' This is based on the consideration that the suspect can no longer defend themselves, and even if criminal charges are established, there would be no benefit to the investigation as prosecution is impossible.
Former lawmaker Jang was under police investigation due to allegations of sexual violence (attempted rape causing injury) against his secretary A in November 2015 when he was the vice president of a university in Busan. He was first questioned as a suspect by the police on the 28th of last month, where it was reported that he categorically denied the allegations of sexual violence.
After reports emerged that former lawmaker Jang denied the allegations, A revealed video and audio taken in a hotel room in Gangnam at the time of the incident. Additionally, A visited the Sunflower Center, an agency that supports victims of sexual violence, on the day of the incident to collect evidence using an emergency kit, and also stated that male DNA was detected in the results from the National Forensic Service.
Former lawmaker Jang was found dead around 11:45 p.m. on the 31st of last month in an officetel in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, shortly after A had made a statement.