By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
An impeachment drive led by the United New Democratic Party (UNDP) targeting three prosecutors started Wednesday after the bill was presented to a National Assembly plenary session.
The party submitted the bill to impeach the prosecutors who conducted the investigation into a financial scam allegedly involving GNP presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak, Tuesday.
It claimed the prosecutors failed to properly look into the ``wrongdoings'' of Lee in their investigation into the stock price rigging scandal. This is the first time that incumbent prosecutors have faced impeachment.
No clash occurred during the session mainly because lawmakers of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) did not attend the session.
As the official impeachment proceedings have started, lawmakers will be asked to vote on the bill by Saturday. Unless the bill is approved by the deadline, the bill will automatically be removed.
GNP leaders said they decided not to join the session because the possible clash inside the parliament over the bill would cause a backlash against lawmakers, which could have a negative impact on the presidential election, a week away.
The GNP will decide how to react to the bill on Friday.
The impeachment procedure is in two steps. The Assemblymen must pass the articles of impeachment by majority on Saturday, meaning that 150 out of 299 legislators must vote for the bill.
The UNDP holds 141 parliamentary seats and therefore the party members will need to work together with minority parties to get the bill approved.
If the legislative body passes the bill, the accused will not be allowed to perform their jobs.
The Constitutional Court will decide whether or not the accused will be dismissed. The court's decision will mark the defendants' fate.
Political observers said the firing of the three prosecutors is not the ultimate goal the pro-government party is seeking. Instead, they said, UNDP leaders are trying to use the bill as a steppingstone in their drive to move an independent prosecutor bill forward.
The UNDP leaders will seek to have the bill on the independent counsel passed if they win parliamentary approval on the impeachment bill, they said.
Experts said the pro-government party would use the impeachment card as a last-minute campaign strategy to attempt a come-from-behind victory for its candidate Chung Dong-young.
UNDP lawmakers submitted the impeachment bill on Monday alleging the three prosecutors did not review pieces of evidence supporting allegations that GNP nominee Lee Myung-bak was involved in illegal business activities.
They said three prosecutors covered up the truth and even tried to fabricate evidence to produce investigation results in favor of the frontrunner.
GNP floor leader Ahn Sang-soo called the bill politically motivated.
``It is inappropriate for the pro-government party leaders to submit a bill to fire prosecutors who simply did their job in the investigation,'' Ahn said.
A prosecutor-turned-lawmaker, Ahn said the three prosecutors did not violate any laws in the investigation and therefore their behavior does not constitute an impeachable offense.
Ahn said UNDP lawmakers are politicizing the impeachment bill ahead of next year's National Assembly elections.