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The Constitutional Court is determined to make a swift decision on a petition against the reinvestigation by a special counsel of president-elect Lee Myung-bak¡¯s alleged connection with the BBK scandal. A court official Wednesday said the bench considers the case as important as a presidential impeachment and will decide straight away on a petition seeking to invalidate the bill mandating the special counsel. However, the decision is expected to come after President Roh Moo-hyun names the special counsel next Monday.
All nine Constitutional judges are poised to start reviewing the case. The court official said the case involving the president-elect ¡°is very important, since it is related to the launch of the next government, and judges will make a swift decision on the matter, considering it as grave as the impeachment motion against President Roh Moo-hyun¡± in 2004. The Constitutional Court threw out the impeachment motion against President Roh on May 14, 2004, some 60 days after it received the petition on March 12 that year.
Other court officials also said that the decision must come quickly since the special counsel bill is only valid until Feb. 24, the eve of Lee¡¯s inauguration. The special counsel is tasked with going over much the same ground as a team of prosecutors who cleared Lee of all involvement in the high-profile investment scam last month.
Six people including Lee's elder brother Sang-eun and brother-in-law Kim Jae-jeong filed an appeal against the BBK special probe bill with the Constitutional Court on Dec. 28.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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