Court denies arrest warrants for 3 officials at McDonald's supplier over patty scandal
A Seoul court refused to approve arrest warrants early Tuesday for three officials from a burger patty supplier of the local unit of McDonald's accused of overlooking hygiene control that allegedly caused some consumers to get sick.
The Seoul Central District Court dismissed the prosecution's writ requests on three executives, whose identities were withheld, saying that it is difficult to acknowledge the need and reasons for their arrests. Prosecutors filed for the warrants on Thursday, charging them with violation of the law regarding safety and hygiene control over livestock products.
They are accused of overlooking a hygiene test for patties that might be susceptible to a type of bacteria that causes a form of acute kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and of still supplying them to McDonald's Korea.
But the court said there is insufficient evidence to prove the supplier's patties inflicted harm on consumers. It accepted the defense argument that the supplier provided reasonable grounds to believe the manufacturing process complied with international standards.
The Seoul prosecutors' office released a statement to media to refute the argument. It said its investigation has found the company sold at least tens of millions of hamburger patties that were either contaminated or suspected of being contaminated with the bacteria.
It claimed the supplier also doctored the infection result in which about 1 million of the patties tested positive for the harmful virus, known as 0-157, and delivered them to McDonald's.
The prosecution also accused the company of skipping additional tests required to finally determine whether the patties were infected with the bacteria. It said it plans to file for arrest warrants a second time once they supplement the case.
Prosecutors have been investigating the local unit of the US fast food chain on suspicions that several consumers, including a 5-year-old girl, became sick after they ate McDonald's burgers served with undercooked patties.
The young girl's mother filed a complaint in July seeking a probe into McDonald's, saying that her daughter now suffers from HUS and has to receive dialysis for the rest of her life.
Prosecutors raided McDonald's Korea's headquarters and three of its partner firms last month to seize evidence. Joh Ju-yeon, the chief of the Seoul unit, has expressed regret over the issue. (Yonhap)
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
-
[LLG] When compassion meets law: Lawyer defends goats, dogs, other helpless animals
Lawyer Park Joo-yeon has an interview with The Korea Herald at law firm Apart in Seoul. (Lee Sang-su ...[详细] -
雅安日报讯近日,宝兴联社召开了退休、内退职工新春慰问座谈会,联社党总支向老同志们通报了该社2014年取得的成绩及2015年业务经营“开门红”的工作部署。据悉,在奋力推进战略转型发展的重要时期,宝兴联社 ...[详细]
-
雅安日报讯1月29日,全市工业和信息化暨投资促进工作会议召开,会议强调,要勇担“工业经济挑大梁”的责任,实现重点产业培育新突破,扎实推进我市工业经济又好又快发展。2014年,在宏观经济形势异常严峻复杂 ...[详细]
-
雅安日报讯18日,芦山县产业集中区德旺家具、中弘康和项目集中开工仪式在芦山县产业集中区东区举行,省经信委帮助我市招商引资的两个项目正式在我市落地生根。产业重建是灾区群众奔康致富的关键,灾后重建中,按照 ...[详细]
-
South Korea beefs up drills amid escalating NK provocations
A Spike missile is launched during the South Korean Marine Corps' full-scale live-fire drills on the ...[详细] -
邬金涛:以品牌农业引领甘薯产业高质量发展_南方+_南方plus“如何把甘薯的价格卖上去?唯一的答案就是做品牌!”在2024汕尾陆丰甘薯高质量发展研讨会上,中山大学管理学院副教授邬金涛如是说。农业要强, ...[详细]
-
黄立飞:甘薯脱毒种苗产业价值高、市场需求大_南方+_南方plus“全省甘薯脱毒种苗年需求量可达100亿株,市场潜力巨大”“延伸甘薯产业链要加强优质产品开发,向多元化、高附加值方向发展”……1月19日下 ...[详细]
-
汕尾:2023年农村居民人均可支配收入增长7.1%_南方+_南方plus近日,汕尾发布2023年经济运行简况。2023年,汕尾市地区生产总值为1430.84亿元,同比增长5.0%。其中,第一产业增加值 ...[详细]
-
16 of the Most Epic Sandwiches Around the Planet
According to lore, the sandwich was invented in 1742 when a compulsive gambler was on a 24-hour hot ...[详细] -
深入实施“百千万工程”,新会11个镇街)同台打擂!_南方+_南方plus总结成效,互学互鉴!1月18日,新会区召开2023年新会区各镇街)全面推进乡村振兴战略擂台比武暨考评会议,各镇街)主要领导先后登 ...[详细]