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A Cabinet meeting chaired by President Roh Moo-hyun on Wednesday approved a bill tasking a special counsel with reopening a probe of president-elect Lee Myung-bak¡¯s suspected involvement in the BBK investment scandal. The bill was passed by the National Assembly on Dec. 17 and will become law once published in the official gazette either on Friday or next Monday.
The bill stipulates that the special counsel should be appointed and investigation preparations completed within 17 days, or in mid-January. The counsel would be authorized to extend the investigation by 10 days after the initial 30-day probe, announcing the results around Lee¡¯s inauguration day on Feb. 25.
At the Cabinet meeting, Roh said while there are ¡°many views on some points¡± including controversy over the possible unconstitutionality of the bill, ¡°there are no sufficient grounds to veto the bill, in consideration of previous other special counsel bills. I considered sending this bill back to the house, but it will be difficult to ask the house to discuss it again at a time when there are no new developments."
According to presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon, Justice Minister Chung Soung-jin at the Cabinet meeting warned of controversy over some legal points concerning the bill. Chung said since the bill originated from public suspicion about the BBK scandal, the best thing was to leave the final decision on the veto up to the president.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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