The justice ministry says it opposes a Democratic Party-led revision to the Criminal Procedure Act that would suspend an ongoing criminal trial for a president-elect.

The Ministry of Justice on Wednesday objected to the proposed change, saying it would turn the presidency into a haven for criminals.

It said it will ask the National Assembly to “carefully consider” the bill proposed by 25 Democratic Party(DP) lawmakers, including Kim Yong-min.

The bill was proposed Friday, a day after the Supreme Court struck down a lower court’s acquittal of DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating the election law, remanding the case for further proceedings.

Under Article 84 of the Constitution, presidents cannot face criminal charges during their tenure except in insurrection or treason cases, but there is no clear rule on whether a criminal trial in progress may continue if the accused person is later elected president.

As various interpretations have been raised concerning this question, the bill is seen as an attempt to resolve the uncertainty.

During a subcommittee meeting of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, the bill to amend the Criminal Procedure Act was unilaterally passed by the DP as People Power Party lawmakers walked out of the session in protest.