Park's lawyers push to delay impeachment ruling

SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) -- President Park Geun-hye's lawyers pushed Friday to overturn her impeachment by petitioning the Constitutional Court to delay its ruling or dismiss the case.

The court's ruling on whether to oust or reinstate the president is widely expected to come no later than March 13 before one of its justices retires and creates another vacancy on the bench.

"There are many reasons cited for the impeachment, and it is a complicated case, so it is hoped that (the court) will work to complete deliberations before Justice Lee Jung-mi's retirement rather than try to deliver a ruling by that date, and thus secure sufficient time for fact-finding and legal judgment," Lee She-yoon, a lawyer and former Constitutional Court justice, said in an "expert's opinion" submitted to the court, according to the chief executive's legal defense team.

The lawyer does not formally represent the president, but is believed to have an active interest in the impeachment trial. In January, he was seen in the audience of the first open hearing.

Park was impeached by the National Assembly on Dec. 9 for allegedly letting her friend Choi Soon-sil meddle in state policymaking and colluding with her to extort money from local conglomerates such as Samsung Group.

On Thursday, the team submitted a separate opinion statement to the court, arguing the case should be dismissed completely due to a "serious procedural flaw" in the parliamentary vote.

Park's ouster requires the approval of at least six of the court's nine justices. There are currently eight after Chief Justice Park Han-chul retired in January. Once acting chief Lee Jung-mi completes her term on March 13, only seven justices will remain.

Critics say Park has been employing various stalling tactics to delay the ruling until after March 13, when only two justices will need to vote against her impeachment to have her reinstated.

hague@yna.co.kr
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