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Seoul, June 25 (IANS) Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyers said on Wednesday that an independent counsel's request for a detention warrant for him is an unlawful act that lacks procedural legitimacy and violates his right to defence.

They made the claim in a written opinion submitted to the Seoul Central District Court, which is expected to decide whether to approve the warrant to detain Yoon on Wednesday at the earliest.

Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk's team filed for the detention warrant with the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday, accusing Yoon of ordering the Presidential Security Service to block the execution of a detention warrant against him by the state anti-corruption investigation agency in early January and delete his phone records with military commanders over his December 3 martial law imposition.

Cho's team also cited Yoon's refusal to comply with three summonses from the police for questioning over the allegations.

"Former President Yoon has not received a single summons notice from the special prosecutor to date. He has not even been given any information about the location of the special prosecutor's office, the prosecutor in charge and the prosecutor's office to be questioned," Yoon's lawyers said in the written opinion, Yonhap news agency reported.

"The special prosecutor's request for a detention warrant for the former president without going through all the basic procedures is an incomprehensible measure and a serious infringement on his right to defence and human rights."

They also noted that it is not legally valid for the special prosecutor to cite police summonses as the reason to seek a detention warrant because the independent counsel and the police are clearly separate investigative agencies.

Meanwhile, the special counsel investigating Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law bid has sought to impose a travel ban on him, sources said, as the team sought a warrant to detain the ousted former leader the previous day.

The special counsel, led by Cho Eun-suk, has filed for an overseas travel ban on Yoon with the justice ministry as part of follow-ups to investigate his insurrection charges after it took over the case from prosecutors and police earlier this week.

--IANS

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