‘Prosecutor Bribery’ Kim Bong-hyun Trial Delayed Again... Rescheduled to Next Month's Pretrial Conference

Lawyer's Side: "Unclear Method for Calculating Total Entertainment Expenses... Difficult to Argue"
Pretrial Hearing Scheduled for 27th Next Month... Three Parties Likely to Be Absent

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The first trial of a current prosecutor and a former prosecutor-turned-lawyer suspected of receiving alcohol entertainment from former Star Mobility Chairman Kim Bong-hyun has been postponed again. This is the second time following January.

The Seoul Southern District Court announced on the 10th that the first trial scheduled for 10 a.m. on the 11th for Prosecutor Na Mo, former prosecutor-turned-lawyer Lee Mo, and former Chairman Kim on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act (Anti-Graft Act) has been postponed to the 27th of next month.

The court explained that this was due to the lawyer Lee's side claiming, "We applied for additional inspection and copying from the prosecution, but it was not properly completed, making the total amount of entertainment expenses and the calculation method unclear," and "After clarifying this part with the prosecution, it will be possible to admit the facts of the charges."

Additionally, Lee's side requested a preparatory hearing, stating, "It seems difficult to conduct substantive arguments, and it is necessary to establish issues and proof plans," and "The defendant's pre-existing illness has worsened due to severe stress."

The prosecution accepted this, resulting in the change of the trial date, and a preparatory hearing will be held on the 27th of next month. Since defendants are not obligated to attend the preparatory hearing, it is highly likely that former Chairman Kim, Prosecutor Na, and lawyer Lee will not appear in court. The official trial date is expected to be set during the preparatory hearing.

The case, which was filed with the court in December last year, was originally scheduled to begin in January but was postponed once at the request of the defense counsel.

The prosecution believes that former Chairman Kim and lawyer Lee conspired to provide Prosecutor Na with alcohol and entertainment worth more than 1 million won. The Anti-Graft Act punishes receiving 1 million won or more at once, regardless of whether it is in exchange for something. It is known that former Chairman Kim paid the alcohol bill at the time, and lawyer Lee introduced the prosecutor to former Chairman Kim.

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