[THE INVESTOR] Prosecutors said on Jan. 19 they have begun an investigation into suspicions mounting over the slowdown of older iPhone models, which consumers worldwide have accused Apple of deliberately causing to make users want to buy a new version.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it has formally assigned the case to the intellectual property-related crime unit.

The launch of the probe comes a day after Seoul-based civic group, Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty, filed a complaint with prosecutors against Apple CEO Tim Cook and Daniel Dicicco, head of Apple Korea.

CUCS has said that the deliberate deterioration of older iPhones through software updates is a scam aimed at boosting sales of new models. It claimed that the U.S. smartphone maker should be charged with fraud, property damage and obstruction of business by digital devices.

The consumer advocate group also filed a compensation suit against Apple and its local headquarters last week, seeking an award of 2.2 million won (US$2,000) per plaintiff.

Apple admitted on Dec. 20 that its operating software updates slowed down the iPhone 6, 6S and iPhone SE, to prevent the smartphones from shutting down abruptly. On Dec. 28, the company denied that the measure, not disclosed to iPhone users, was motivated to induce users to switch to newer models.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)