"Optimus Bribery" Former FSC Director's Side Denies Charges, Claims "No Quid Pro Quo"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Yoon, former director of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), who was indicted on charges of receiving bribes from Optimus Asset Management (Optimus) officials, denied all charges at his first trial.

At the first preparatory hearing held on the 12th at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 23 (Presiding Judge Younggeun Yoo), Yoon’s defense attorney argued that there was "no quid pro quo whatsoever" regarding the allegation of receiving money in exchange for mediation. The attorney emphasized, "The defendant was in severe financial distress at the time and was constantly borrowing or asking for money from those around him," adding, "There was no quid pro quo and no connection whatsoever to his official duties." The court set the first trial date for the 29th and decided to summon CEO Jaehyun Kim and former Optimus director and lawyer Seokho Yoon as witnesses for questioning on that day.

Yoon was indicted on charges of receiving a total of 47 million KRW on multiple occasions as compensation for introducing financial industry personnel to CEO Kim and others for fund investment attraction, auction procedure delays, and various loans during his tenure from 2018 to 2019 (violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes - bribery). He was also indicted for receiving 20 million KRW in 2014 and 10 million KRW in 2018 from financial institution executives and employees in exchange for arranging preferential loans or reducing the severity of bank sanctions, for which the Supreme Court confirmed a sentence of 2 years and 2 months imprisonment with a 4-year probation period.

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