By Jung Min-ho
President Park Geun-hye has requested the Constitutional Court put off the final hearing on her impeachment to early March.
According to the court Sunday, her lawyers requested the court to postpone the date of the hearing to March 2 or 3, claiming that the schedule change is necessary for a fair decision.
The court announced last week that the last hearing would be held Feb. 24, suggesting a decision will likely come before acting court President Lee Jung-mi’s March 13 retirement.
If the court accepts the request, the ruling may be made later than the planned date by only seven justices. The court is expected to respond to the request at Monday’s hearing.
It is unclear whether President Park will appear at the final hearing. Her lawyers reportedly asked the court to allow Park to deliver her final testimony without answering questions from the judges.
Park is awaiting a decision by the court on whether she will be permanently removed from the presidency after the National Assembly impeached her in December over a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving her and her confidant Choi Soon-sil.
Meanwhile, the independent counsel team questioned Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung Group, for the second straight day over bribery allegations related to the scandal.
Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, appeared at the team’s office in southern Seoul at around 9:40 a.m. Sunday to answer questions about bribes he allegedly gave to Choi in return for business favors from the President.
Reporters bombarded him with questions, such as “Do you still consider yourself a victim of the scandal?” But Lee kept silent as he entered the office in handcuffs.
In addition to giving 43 billion won ($37.3 million) in bribes to Choi and her family through various channels, Lee is suspected of embezzlement, perjury and hiding assets overseas.
Special investigators believe there is a direct link between the money Lee gave to Choi and the presidential office’s help with the merger of two Samsung units in 2015, which was crucial for him to strengthen his control over the group. But his lawyers have denied this.
They claim the company had no option but to financially support Choi because it was forced to do so by Cheong Wa Dae. They insist Lee did not expect anything in return and the President promised nothing for the money.
Investigators reportedly focused on the details of three private conversations Lee had with the President.
His detention has put Samsung Electronics in emergency mode. With four other key Samsung executives also facing indictment over the scandal, the firm is concerned about a leadership vacuum at a critical time when the company is trying to recover from the debacle over its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone last year.
Lee avoided arrest last month when the Seoul Central District Court rejected the investigators’ request for a warrant. But they tried again last week with additional evidence, and the warrant was issued Friday.
The court’s decision will likely embolden the investigation team, which has been preparing to bring bribery charges against the President.
Park is expected to face questioning by investigators over her role in the scandal soon. If she is found guilty on bribery charges, she may have to spend the rest of her life in prison after her term ends.