South Korean President Park Geun-hye's confidante, who is at the centre of a corruption scandal, on Tuesday rejected summons to a hearing this week, the last round of witness testimonies in the President's impeachment trial.
Choi Soon-sil, Park's friend of 40 years, submitted a statement in this regard to the Constitutional Court, according to a court official.
"Choi will not attend the questioning on Wednesday, as she has nothing more to say after providing much testimony during the earlier session," the official said.
Choi, who is detained pending trial on charges of abuse of power, extortion and attempted fraud, testified during a hearing last month, Yonhap News Agency reported.
But Park's lawyers requested a summons for her again, citing a need to ask more questions.
The court is expected to hear the last witness testimony on Wednesday.
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Unless Park decides to appear, the court will hear the closing arguments of her lawyers and the National Assembly impeachment panel on Friday. From then on, it is expected to take two weeks for a verdict.
If Park is permanently ousted, South Korea will hold a presidential election within 60 days. If she is reinstated, an election will be held in December as scheduled.
Park faces charges of letting Choi meddle in state affairs without holding any position in the government. She was also impeached for allegedly colluding with Choi to extort money from Samsung and other conglomerates.
Both Park and Choi have denied any wrongdoing.
--IANS
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