Prosecution Seeks 2 Million Won Fine for Assemblyman An Min-seok in 'Illegal Lawyer Fee Solicitation' Case

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Ahn Min-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been sentenced to pay a fine by the prosecution for illegally raising attorney fees for Noh Seung-il, former deputy director of the K-Sports Foundation, who gained fame as the "Choi Soon-sil sniper" during the 2017 political scandal.

According to the legal community on the 28th, the prosecution requested a fine of 2 million won for Ahn and Father Park in the trial on the illegal solicitation of attorney fees (violation of the Act on the Solicitation and Use of Donations) held yesterday under Judge Choi Hye-seung of the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 11.

The prosecution stated, "The defendants knew that the amount raised exceeded 10 million won but took no action," adding, "Although all the collected money was delivered to Mr. Noh Seung-il, the funds were used for foundation-related expenses and personal debt repayment, which is against the purpose of the law."

Ahn’s defense attorney appealed to the court, saying, "The defendants were unaware of the donation law and acted without criminal intent," and "Since raising attorney fees for Mr. Noh Seung-il, who first exposed the political scandal, was a public interest act, we ask for an acquittal considering various circumstances."

In his final statement, Ahn said, "I am sorry to stand in court due to ignorance of the relevant law," and added, "Please consider that my actions were selfless and aimed at helping the public hero Mr. Noh Seung-il from a public interest perspective."

Ahn and others were indicted on charges of raising about 130 million won by opening an account and promoting it on social media to collect attorney fees after Noh was sued for defamation by then Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Lee Wan-young in May 2017.

According to the relevant law, if donations exceeding 10 million won are solicited, a solicitation and usage plan must be submitted and registered with the competent authority, but Ahn and others did not follow this procedure.

The prosecution received a complaint from a civic group in June 2017, investigated the case, and last year filed a summary indictment against Ahn and others with a fine of 2 million won. Ahn and others requested a formal trial.

The sentencing trial for Ahn will be held on June 4.

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