Seoul, Feb 25 (IANS) The final hearing of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial opened on Tuesday in his absence amid keen attention on what the President will say in his last arguments to defend his short-lived imposition of martial law.
Yoon did not arrive in time for the hearing’s opening but was expected to join the proceeding later in the day.
The hearing began with an examination of evidence and the presentation of final arguments from the legal teams of both Yoon and the National Assembly, which is the prosecution in the case.
Yoon and Rep. Jung Chung-rai of the main Opposition Democratic Party, the head of the Assembly’s impeachment panel, will then be given unlimited time to present their final arguments.
The President is expected to use his statement to explain the circumstances that led to his surprise declaration of martial law on December 3 and assert the illegality of his investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the prosecution.
Also in focus is whether the President will issue an apology to the nation for the political turmoil caused by his martial law declaration and subsequent impeachment.
Jung has said he will use his final arguments to explain why Yoon should be removed from office, how his claims are different from the truth and how the nation should overcome the current crisis.
The National Assembly’s impeachment motion against Yoon accuses the President of violating the Constitution and laws by declaring martial law in the absence of a national emergency and ignoring due procedures, such as holding a Cabinet meeting and notifying Parliament.
Yoon has argued his declaration of martial law was an act of governance meant to send a warning to the Opposition party over its repeated impeachments of government officials and attempts to cut the government budget, Yonhap news agency reported.
Legal experts anticipate the court will deliver its verdict on whether to remove Yoon from office or reinstate him within two weeks after Tuesday’s hearing, citing the precedents of former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye.
–IANS
int/jk/rad
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
