Court to hold preparatory hearing for Lee Jae Myung's embezzlement trial as planned

The fourth preparatory hearing for President Lee Jae Myung's trial on charges of misusing public funds will be held as planned Tuesday, the district court said. The Suwon District Court said the hearing will be held at 4:30 p.m. regardless of whether the bench decides to proceed with the main trial. There was speculation the court could postpone the session as the Constitution exempts a sitting president from criminal indictment except in cases of treason or insurrection. Lee was elected president last month. The court explained that the Criminal Procedure Code separates the preparatory proceedings from the main proceedings, making it clear that a suspension of the main trial does not necessitate a suspension of the preparatory stage. Lee was indicted in November on charges of embezzling 106.5 million won ($77,800) from the Gyeonggi provincial government while serving as governor from 2018 to 2021 in order to pay for food and other goods. Two of his other trials — one on charges of violating election laws and the other on charges of corruption related to a massive development project --Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times