A South Korean court has cancelled impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol’s arrest warrant, paving the way for his release from jail after he was detained for imposing martial law.
The suspended president filed the request with the Seoul Central District Court last month, pleading that the arrest warrant issued against him was illegal.
” is reasonable to conclude that the indictment was filed after the defendant’s detention period had expired,” said a document from the Seoul Central District Court.
“To ensure procedural clarity and eliminate any doubts regarding the legality of the investigative process, it would be appropriate to issue a decision to cancel the detention,” the court added on Friday.
“South Korea’s rule of law is still alive,” Yoon’s legal counsel said after the court’s decision, according to South Korean broadcaster YTN.
Local media said Yoon is expected to be released and take part in his trial while out of detention.
However, Seok Dong-hyeon, Yoon’s lawyer, said prosecutors could still appeal the court ruling.
“Yoon has been held for just over 50 days in a detention facility south of Seoul, pretty much since his arrest in the middle of January,” said Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, reporting from the South Korean capital.
It does remain a question whether [Yoon] will be released later this Friday, which is an expectation, or whether the prosecutors in this case will appeal against that, in which case the detention will continue,” he added.
