The father of an idol member was prohibited from leaving the country due to fraud charges worth 290 billion won, and although he requested for the ban to be lifted, the court dismissed it.
According to Law Talk News on the 8th, the Seoul Administrative Court did not accept Mr. A's request to lift the travel ban, which he filed while promoting his son, an idol singer.
Mr. A has been accused of defrauding victims by promising high returns through a platform, having raised a total of 291.9 billion won from victims over approximately 1 year and 5 months since September 2022. He is currently under police investigation. During the investigation, the Ministry of Justice imposed a travel ban on Mr. A at the request of the police, which has been extended monthly since April 2024.
After the case was transferred to the prosecution, Mr. A filed an administrative lawsuit against the extension of the travel ban in March and argued during the trial that he had cooperated faithfully with the investigation, that his family resides in the country, and especially that his son is active as an idol singer, which eliminates any risk of fleeing.
In particular, Mr. A pleaded for the lifting of the travel ban extension, asserting that overseas business trips are essential and that the prohibition would severely impact his company's management.
However, the court dismissed the appeal, stating, "The accused's criminal allegations are not trivial, and many subscribers are involved, making a lengthy investigation unavoidable." It further stated, "Mr. A has frequently traveled abroad before the initial travel ban, so if he were to leave the country, the likelihood of not responding to the investigation agency's summons is high."
The court also did not accept the argument that there is no risk of fleeing due to the idol son, explaining, "Considering the gravity of the allegations and the possibility of a prolonged investigation, it is difficult to view that any disadvantages incurred by the plaintiff should be prioritized over public interest in securing state penal authority and preventing the destruction of evidence."
Finally, regarding the business-related damages, the court ruled, "It cannot be said that overseas business trips must be made through the plaintiff, and there is no objective evidence to conclude that realistic disadvantages occurred due to the plaintiff's inability to leave the country."
In this regard, OSEN attempted to contact the agency to hear the idol member's position, but the agency's representative could not be reached.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]