An alleged accomplice of former first lady Kim Keon-hee in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case has decided not to attend his pretrial detention hearing.

The special counsel team in charge of the case said the man, identified by the surname Lee, submitted a document explaining why he will not appear at the Seoul Central District Court for the hearing, set to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The presiding judge will have to decide whether to issue a warrant for Lee’s detention based on investigation records and evidence.

Lee was apprehended by investigators in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, Thursday, about a month after fleeing during a search and seizure operation.

The former first lady stands accused of engaging in stock manipulation at Deutsch Motors between October 2010 and December 2012 and acquiring illicit profits of approximately 810 million won, or around 550-thousand U.S. dollars.

Lee is believed to be the former first lady’s bank account manager and one of the key players in the alleged stock manipulation.

He also introduced her to a shaman named Geon Jin, who has been detained in a separate case involving the Unification Church.