A leader of a South Korean sect was detained for impeding the Covid-19 probe.
Police claim that although Lee Man-hee’s Shincheonji Church of Jesus was at the center of an outbreak, he concealed information about its members’ whereabouts.
The leader of a reclusive Christian cult at the center of the biggest Covid-19 infection epidemic in South Korea has been taken into custody by police for allegedly withholding important information from contact tracers and committing other offenses.
The influential leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Lee Man-hee, is connected to over 5,200 corona virus infections, or 36 percent of all cases in South Korea.
The 89-year-old is accused by prosecutors of plotting with other sect leaders to conceal information from law enforcement at the height of the outbreak among his more than 200,000 members.
As police attempted to track down the origins of the virus in February, Yon hap news agency said that Lee, who has labeled the new corona virus as the “devil’s deed” to halt the sect’s expansion, concealed information about members and their gathering spots.
According to Yon hap, Lee is also suspected of stealing some 5.6 billion won ($4.7 million) in church finances, including roughly 5 billion won that he reportedly utilized to construct a retreat.
In a statement, the sect said that although Lee never attempted to conceal anything, he was worried about requests from the government for members’ personal information.
As soon as a judge in the Suwon district, south of Seoul, authorized the warrant, Lee was taken into custody.
It was not possible to get in contact with a prosecution officer after hours.
