New major crimes unit, police likely to face friction over unclear jurisdiction
A visitor enters the headquarters of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency in Seoul, Sept. 22. Yonhap
The freshly launched agency dedicated to investigating "major crimes" may be headed for a turf war with the police due to a still unclear line between their jurisdictions, observers said Thursday.
The new Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) set sail at the start of this month under a recent revision to the Criminal Procedure Act that effectively dismantled the previous prosecution system, leaving the prosecution with only the right to indict and maintain indictments against criminals.
The right to investigate has been split between the SCIA and the police, with the SCIA tasked with investigating seven major crimes.
The revision defines such crimes as those related to corruption, business and economy, defense procurement, narcotics, national security, cybercrimes and distortion of the law, but there still exists ambiguity, such as what constitutes a "major" crime or should the SCIA be required, if not allowed, to investigate what may be considered petty crimes if related to corruption, narcotics or any other crimes stated in the law.
Also, the police, which have already been investigating all such major crimes and possess extensive personnel and infrastructure, will unlikely be willing to give up their right to investigate, the observers note.
Apparently anticipating such problems, the revised law requires the establishment of an Investigation Jurisdiction Coordination Committee that will clarify scopes of investigation for the two agencies.
The committee, however, is set to be created only after Feb. 5, leaving the SCIA and police to rely on voluntary consultations to prevent any possible confrontation at least for the next three months, according to the local observers.
Ko Beom-seok, commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, earlier said the police will keep a close watch "so that such areas of concern do not become a reality."
"We will closely cooperate with the SCIA to minimize confusion after the agency's launch," he has said.