'Violation of Political Funds Act' Eunsoo-mi Seongnam Mayor fined 3 million won in appeal trial... Risk of losing mayoral position

Suwon High Court, "Betraying Public Trust in Fairness and Integrity"
Eun Likely to Appeal to the Supreme Court

Eun Soo-mi, mayor of Seongnam City, who was indicted on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, is coming out after the appellate sentencing hearing held on the afternoon of the 6th at the Suwon High Court in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Eun Soo-mi, mayor of Seongnam City, who was prosecuted for violating the Political Funds Act, was sentenced to a penalty that invalidates her election in the appellate court. The court unusually imposed a heavier fine than the prosecution's demand.

The Criminal Division 1 of Suwon High Court (Presiding Judge Noh Kyung-pil) overturned the original ruling and sentenced Mayor Eun to a fine of 3 million KRW at the appellate trial on the 6th regarding the violation of the Political Funds Act.

The court stated, "The defendant was fully aware that she was receiving transportation convenience as a donation, yet she accepted vehicles and driver labor from Komatrade for one year," and added, "This abandons the responsibility of politicians to contribute to the sound development of democratic politics and the public trust in fairness and integrity related to political activities."

Furthermore, the court explained the sentencing reason, saying, "The defendant claimed from the investigative agencies to the court that driver Choi was a 'volunteer' and did not show sincere remorse. Despite this claim being untrue, it was judged to have significantly influenced the party's nomination maintenance and voters' decision in the last local election."

Mayor Eun was indicted for receiving vehicle convenience 95 times over about a year from June 2016 to May 2017 from Komatrade, whose representative is Lee, a former member of an organized crime group in Seongnam. In the first trial last September, she was fined 900,000 KRW. However, with the increased sentence in the appellate court, her position as mayor became precarious. Elected officials lose their election validity if sentenced to a fine of 1 million KRW or more for violating the Political Funds Act.

Previously, at the appellate trial's closing arguments, the prosecution demanded a fine of 1.5 million KRW, but the court imposed a fine twice as high at 3 million KRW, which is noteworthy. The court added that allowing Mayor Eun to continue public office simply because she was elected as Seongnam mayor does not meet public expectations in terms of legal compliance and ethics, even considering the burden of holding a by-election.

After the sentencing, Mayor Eun said, "I believe the appellate court's ruling is unfair," and added, "I will respond by appealing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.