The ruling People Power Party(PPP) has criticized a court decision to deny a pretrial arrest warrant for main opposition Democratic Party(DP) Chairman Lee Jae-myung, saying that the court has given in to his extreme supporters.

In a statement on Wednesday, a PPP spokesperson rhetorically asked if the court can now say with confidence that the law is equal before everyone, adding that the decision will always be remembered as a stain as the court was swayed by the blind followers of one politician.

The spokesperson criticized the DP chair for playing around the rule of law during the investigation, saying that Lee stalled and impeded the prosecution’s investigation and even shamefully attempted to generate sympathy from the public through a hunger strike.

Noting that the court said it is difficult to recognize the need to put Lee behind bars in consideration of his right to defense and the risk of destruction of evidence, the statement rhetorically asked if any citizens could consider the ruling to be reasonable.

The spokesperson added that Lee and the DP are now acting as if they have been granted immunity and are once again deceiving the public, urging the prosecution to conduct an additional investigation and re-seek a warrant for Lee.