Supreme Court Confirms Suspended Sentence for University Professor Who Aided Delivery of Defective Products by Adjusting Experimental Data
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] A university professor who adjusted experimental results to allow substandard products to pass at the request of a supplier has been found guilty.
The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Kim Sang-hwan) announced on the 15th that it upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing Professor A, who was tried on charges of aiding fraud, to six months in prison with a two-year probation period.
The court stated, "There is no error in the lower court's judgment that it did not violate the rules of logic and experience or exceed the limits of free evaluation of evidence, nor did it misinterpret the legal principles regarding intent in aiding fraud."
Between 2013 and 2014, Professor A was prosecuted on charges of adjusting experimental results above the standard for some failed products at the request of a company supplying activated carbon to the Hwaseong and Suji water purification plants' advanced treatment facilities.
Activated carbon is a carbon-based material with strong adsorption properties, commonly used to remove moisture and other impurities.
Professor A claimed that the adjustment of experimental values was only to reduce errors and inaccuracies, and was not an intentional manipulation to assist fraudulent acts by a specific company.
The first trial court sentenced Professor A to one year and six months in prison, ruling that he was guilty of "aiding fraud" because he knowingly assisted the company's attempt to manipulate results.
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The appellate court also found Professor A guilty, acknowledging that he was aware of the company's fraudulent intent. However, considering that he conducted experiments without knowing whether the activated carbon tested had failed, the court ruled it was difficult to conclude that he had "definite intent" and thus sentenced him to probation.
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