Lee Mingul and Lee Gyujin First Guilty Verdict in Judicial Farming Scandal... Court Criticizes as "Illegal and Unfair" (Comprehensive Report 2)

Inevitable Impact on Yang Seung-tae and Im Jong-heon Cases
Prosecutors Welcome "First Ruling Recognizing Abuse of Authority"

Former Chief of the Judicial Administration Office Lee Min-geol (left) and former Supreme Court Sentencing Commission Standing Member Lee Gyu-jin Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Lee Min-geol, former Director of Planning and Coordination at the Court Administration Office, and Lee Gyu-jin, former standing member of the Supreme Court Sentencing Commission, who were indicted for alleged abuse of judicial administrative power during the tenure of former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae, were sentenced to suspended prison terms in the first trial. This is the first guilty verdict issued by a court related to the judicial scandal case.

The Criminal Division 32 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Yoon Jong-seop) on the afternoon of the 23rd sentenced former Director Lee to 10 months in prison with a 2-year suspension and former Standing Member Lee to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year suspension on charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of rights.

The court criticized former Director Lee, stating, "He gave unlawful and improper orders causing subordinate judges to act contrary to the Constitution and the Judges' Ethical Code," and added, "This is a serious crime that can raise doubts about the fairness of court judicial affairs." However, the court also considered "that the crimes were not committed for personal gain and that his role was inevitably limited within the judicial administration organization," explaining the sentencing rationale.

Regarding former Standing Member Lee, the court pointed out, "As a judge dispatched to the Constitutional Court, he exceeded the legitimate scope of his duties and obstructed the exercise of judicial authority as defined by the Constitution," emphasizing, "His role and responsibility cannot be considered light." However, it added, "Most of the criminal orders appear to have been given by former Deputy Director Lim Jong-heon of the Court Administration Office, and his role was performed under the hierarchical structure of judicial administrative power."

Former Director Lee was indicted for intervening in lawsuits confirming the status of former Unified Progressive Party lawmakers and attempting to dismantle a judges' association critical of judicial administration. Former Standing Member Lee was charged with illegally collecting internal confidential information from the Constitutional Court, interfering in cases related to the former Unified Progressive Party, and surveilling judges.

The court recognized as guilty a significant portion of the charges against former Director Lee and former Standing Member Lee, including interference in certain trials, suppression of judges' associations, and collection of internal information from the Constitutional Court. In particular, it ruled that the acts of judicial administrators interfering in trials constitute abuse of authority. Accordingly, this guilty verdict is expected to impact the cases of former Chief Justice Yang and former Deputy Director Lim, who are accused of conspiring with them. Both Yang and Lim are currently undergoing first trial proceedings.

Former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae [Image source=Yonhap News]

Among former and current judges indicted for the judicial scandal allegations, these two are the first to be sentenced guilty. In previous cases related to the judicial scandal allegations, six individuals, including former Supreme Court Senior Research Judge Yoo Hae-yong, were all acquitted. The prosecution has indicted a total of 14 former and current judges in connection with the judicial scandal.

On this day, former Jeonju District Court Chief Judge Bang Chang-hyun and former Seoul High Court Chief Judge Shim Sang-chul, who were indicted alongside former Director Lee and former Standing Member Lee, were acquitted. Former Chief Judge Shim was tried on charges of improperly ordering the allocation of the appellate trial of administrative lawsuits filed by former Unified Progressive Party lawmakers to a specific trial panel, and former Chief Judge Bang was tried on charges of leaking the sentencing results and reasoning of cases involving former Unified Progressive Party lawmakers he was handling at the request of the Court Administration Office.

Meanwhile, after the sentencing, the prosecution stated, "We believe this verdict is significant as it is the first to recognize guilt for abuse of authority and obstruction of rights in unconstitutional trial interference by judicial administrators," adding, "We will carefully review the judgment to decide on whether to appeal." They further added, "We will do our best to ensure that a final verdict corresponding to the crime and responsibility for offenses that have damaged public trust in the judiciary is delivered."

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