Witness Denies BIGBANG Seungri’s Involvement With Her And Shares That Police Allegedly Fabricated Her Statement
The trials against BIGBANG‘s Seungri for his alleged involvement in the Burning Sun Scandal are constantly changing and developing even 3 years later. Currently, several witnesses have come forth and made statements that were significantly different than police questioning records. Witnesses who appeared at the 13th hearing of Seungri’s case on March 25, testified that there was essentially no specific connection to Seungri.
Ms. C, who stood as a witness related to prostitution mediation charges, testified about sexual favors provided for a Japanese investors group that happened around December 24, 2015.
I got a part-time job [prostitution] offer from an older woman that I knew that morning and went to the hotel. I had no idea at all [that the other man] was related to Seungri. I didn’t know my client was Japanese, and there was no sex. No one mentioned Seungri at that time.
—Ms. C
After receiving the same offer later, she and Seungri’s group were present at a restaurant in Gangnam the next morning. Ms. C said, “There were a lot of people at the scene, and I didn’t know who was who. I left with a man after the drinking party, but I don’t remember seeing that man at the restaurant.”
She also revised the contents in her police questioning records. The previous statement said, “After leaving the restaurant, I was in Seungri’s car for a while…” Ms. C recently corrected, “I never said it was Seungri’s car, I didn’t even know if it was Seungri’s car. It was the police who said ‘That [was] Seungri’s car’, and they seem to have written it that way.”
Regarding the man who left with her, which she had previously testified that he “was the defendant’s group,” Ms. C clarified her statement. Ms. C stated, “I just said that there was one person among many people, and he was a guy who appeared at the restaurant, but since Seungri was also there, police wrote him as ‘Defendant’s group’.” When asked if Seungri said anything to her in person at the scene, she stated that she had never had a conversation with him. She is not the first witness to say that her statements were altered.
| The Straits TimesMany witnesses are consistently saying that the police questioning records are different from their actual statements. At the time of the investigation, discussions on the adjustment of the Prosecution’s and Police’s investigation rights were held.
The National Assembly and the Blue House had to thoroughly investigate the Burning Sun case and punish it, so the Police have an outcome, but in fact, the detention warrants on Seungri were rejected twice. The police needed to have an outcome, and it seems that that’s why there was more pressure during the investigation instead of necessary ones and excessive allegations/charges were accused.
We have several witnesses, but is it a situation where all of them could have lied? There seems to be a reason for me to tell the courtroom that the police questioning records are different from the actual statements. I want you to take a look at this.
—Seungri’s Lawyer
The Court agreed with the lawyer’s argument to a certain extent, while also reasoning that “There could have been coercion or pressure [in the process of the police questionings], but it is necessary for the courtroom to confirm the reversal of the statements made according to conscience.”
Seungri’s trial will be continued in April.
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