Former Black Pearl Invest CEO Suspends Testimony in Stock Manipulation Case

Lee Jong-ho (이종호), the former CEO of Black Pearl Invest, abruptly halted his testimony on July 21, 2025, at the Kim Geon-hee (김건희) special investigation office. He is under investigation for allegedly accepting bribes in connection with the Deutsche Motors (도이치모터스) stock manipulation case, where he is accused of receiving 83.9 million won in exchange for reducing a co-conspirator's sentence. The special investigation team has summoned him to return on July 22 at 10 AM.

According to a statement from the special investigation team, Lee unilaterally decided to end his questioning at 5:30 PM, citing other commitments. After stopping the investigation, he reviewed the records and signed off, confirming there were no discrepancies. Initially, he had indicated to acquaintances that he would exercise his right to remain silent, but he reportedly cooperated during the investigation. Notably, he was not accompanied by a lawyer during this session.

Lee was seen leaving the KT Gwanghwamun West building around 6:16 PM. When approached by reporters asking about his testimony and whether he had provided an alibi, he declined to answer any questions and left the premises.

The special investigation team suspects that Lee received a total of 25 requests from co-conspirator Lee Jeong-pil (이정필) to influence the court's sentencing and to mitigate police investigations. It is believed that during these exchanges, Lee Jong-ho mentioned he could speak to Kim Geon-hee or VIP (former President Yoon Seok-yeol) to secure a suspended sentence for Lee Jeong-pil.