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Russia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Von der Leyen survives EU no-confidence vote
European Union lawmakers voted on Thursday to reject a motion of no confidence in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Critics alleged abuse of power on her part, while she blamed the attempt to remove her on Russia. The motion neede 357 votes to pass but garnered only 175 in favor. A total of 360 members of the European Parliament voted against it, with 18 abstentions. The result had been widely anticipated. Of the chamber's 720 members, only 553 participated in the vote. Many of the absentees were reportedly members of parties that had publicly endorsed von der Leyen. Although some centrist groups initially threatened to abstain in protest, they ultimately opposed the motion to distance themselves from its sponsors. During debate on Monday, von der Leyen dismissed her opponents as 'conspiracy theorists' and claimed that lawmakers calling for her removal were being 'supported by our enemies and by their puppet masters in Russia or elsewhere.' A vocal critic of Moscow, von der Leyen is championing a large-scale military buildup across the EU, which will require member states to borrow hundreds of billions of euros. Russian officials have denounced the strategy, claiming it is rooted in unfounded claims of a Russian threat and serves to obscure Brussels' policy failures. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev predicted before the vote that 'the old crone' would survive, but called the proceedings a warning sign for officials in Brussels. Romanian nationalist MEP Gheorghe Piperea, who introduced the motion, said von der Leyen had won a Pyrrhic victory, arguing she had made contradictory promises to secure support from different political groups. Von der Leyen reportedly pledged to preserve the European Social Fund in the EU's upcoming budget to win over the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) group. Piperea said that center-right factions such as Renew Europe and the European People's Party (EPP) would prefer to reallocate those funds toward defense, as the Commission previously intended. Political analysts remarked that even mainstream factions used the proceedings as an outlet to express frustration with von der Leyen's leadership, which critics say lacks transparency and consolidates too much authority in the Commission president's office.
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
South Korea court to hold July 9 hearing on ex-leader Yoon's detention warrant
Yoon Suk Yeol was taken into custody but released from jail after 52 days on technical grounds. (AP pic) SEOUL : A Seoul court plans to hold a hearing on Wednesday to review a request by special prosecutors to detain former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a court official said on Monday. The special counsel team investigating Yoon's martial law declaration in December has filed a request to the Seoul Central District Court to detain Yoon on allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. Yoon has been accused of mobilising presidential guards to stop authorities from arresting him in January. He eventually was taken into custody but released from jail after 52 days on technical grounds. The special prosecution that kicked off its investigation after new leader Lee Jae Myung was elected in June has been looking into additional charges against Yoon, who is already on trial for insurrection related to his short-lived martial law. The detention warrant request was made on the grounds of the risk of him being a flight risk and concerns that he might interfere with witnesses linked to his case, local media reported, citing a special prosecutor' request. Yoon's lawyers have rejected the allegations against him.
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
South Korea's Yoon attends hearing on detention warrant
Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to be held at the Seoul detention centre if he is detained. (AP pic) SEOUL : South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol appeared today at a Seoul court, which is considering a special prosecutor's request to detain him as part of a probe into his botched bid to impose martial law. The Seoul central district court began hearing arguments from the special counsel team investigating Yoon's martial law decree in December and from Yoon's legal team on the request to detain the deposed president over allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. After the hearing, Yoon will await the court's decision at the Seoul detention centre, about 20km south of the capital, the special prosecutor said. Yoon, who was wearing a dark navy suit and a red tie, did not answer questions from reporters as he entered the court building. About 100 supporters gathered near the court, holding flags and signs, chanting 'President Yoon' and 'Yoon Again' in the stifling heat of about 35°C. Scores of police officers and dozens of buses formed a tight security cordon in front of Yoon's house as well as around the court, which is expected to announce a decision late today or in the early hours of tomorrow. Yoon was ousted in April by the constitutional court, which upheld his impeachment by parliament for his martial law bid that shocked South Koreans and triggered months of political turmoil, entrenching already deep divisions in the country. The former conservative president is already under a criminal trial on charges that his attempt to rule the country using martial law amounted to an insurrection, a charge that is punishable by a life sentence or even death. But the probe has picked up pace since the special prosecution began its investigation after liberal President Lee Jae Myung was elected in June and has been looking at additional charges, including accusations that Yoon mobilised presidential guards to stop authorities from arresting him in January. He was previously taken into custody over the earlier criminal probe, but was released from jail after 52 days on technical grounds. The detention warrant request was made on the grounds of Yoon posing a flight risk and concerns that he might interfere with witnesses linked to his case, local media reported, citing the special prosecutors' request. If Yoon is detained, he is expected to be held at the Seoul detention centre, and the special prosecution is expected to speed up a probe into additional allegations, including whether Yoon hurt South Korea's interests by intentionally inflaming tensions with North Korea. Yoon's lawyers have rejected all the allegations against him, saying the detention warrant request is unreasonable and the investigation lacks objective evidence.
Japan Times
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
South Korea investigators seek to arrest former president Yoon again
A Seoul court plans to hold a hearing on Wednesday to review a request by special prosecutors to detain former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a court official said on Monday. The special counsel team investigating Yoon's martial law declaration in December has filed a request to the Seoul Central District Court to detain Yoon on allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. The special prosecution that kicked off its investigation after new leader Lee Jae Myung was elected in June has been looking into additional charges against Yoon, who is already on trial for insurrection related to his short-lived martial law. The detention warrant request was made on the grounds of him being a flight risk and concerns that he might interfere with witnesses linked to his case, local media reported, citing a special prosecutors' request. South Korean special prosecutors filed the new request on Sunday, one day after he appeared before them for questioning over his declaration of martial law last year. Yoon was arrested in January after resisting authorities trying to take him into custody, but he was released after 52 days on technical grounds. "Detention request is related to allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice," the special prosecutors investigating the declaration said in a statement. The spokesperson for the special prosecutors declined to elaborate when asked why the detention request was submitted, saying they would explain it in court proceedings to decide on whether it should be granted. Yoon's lawyers said in a statement that the special prosecutors had not provided credible evidence for the charges they were seeking, and his legal team would "explain in court that the request for an arrest warrant is unreasonable." The former prime minister has been accused of mobilizing presidential guards to stop authorities from arresting him in January, but the court has previously dismissed the request for an arrest warrant after Yoon had initially refused to appear for questioning. Yoon was ousted in April by the Constitutional Court, which upheld his impeachment by parliament for a martial law bid that shocked a country that had prided itself on becoming a thriving democracy after overcoming military dictatorship in the 1980s. The Dec. 3 decree had been lifted after about six hours when lawmakers, who had been forced to scale the walls of the assembly building to make it through a ring of security forces, voted the decree down. The former president is fighting the charges against him that include masterminding insurrection, which is punishable by death or life in prison. He rejects the allegations. The special prosecutor was appointed just days after Lee took office on June 4, following his victory in a snap election called after Yoon's ouster, and leads a team of more than 200 lawyers and investigators.
Arab News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
South Korea court to hold July 9 hearing on former leader Yoon's detention warrant
SEOUL: A Seoul court plans to hold a hearing on Wednesday to review a request by special prosecutors to detain former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a court official said on Monday. The special counsel team investigating Yoon's martial law declaration in December has filed a request to the Seoul Central District Court to detain Yoon on allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice. Yoon has been accused of mobilizing presidential guards to stop authorities from arresting him in January. He eventually was taken into custody but released from jail after 52 days on technical grounds. The special prosecution that kicked off its investigation after new leader Lee Jae Myung was elected in June has been looking into additional charges against Yoon, who is already on trial for insurrection related to his short-lived martial law. The detention warrant request was made on the grounds of the risk of him being a flight risk and concerns that he might interfere with witnesses linked to his case, local media reported, citing a special prosecutors' request. Yoon's lawyers have rejected the allegations against him.
