Former NIS Chiefs Who 'Paid Special Activity Funds' to Park Receive Final Prison Sentences

Nam Jae-jun sentenced to 1 year 6 months; Lee Byung-gi sentenced to 3 years; Lee Byung-ho sentenced to 3 years 6 months

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) chiefs Nam Jae-joon, Lee Byung-gi, and Lee Byung-ho, who were indicted for delivering special activity funds to the Blue House during the Park Geun-hye administration, have been finally sentenced to prison terms.

The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Lee Dong-won) on the 8th upheld the original sentences in the final appeal trial of the former NIS chiefs charged with violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (loss of state funds) and other charges. Nam was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison, while Lee Byung-gi and Lee Byung-ho were sentenced to 3 years and 3 years and 6 months in prison, respectively.

Nam and the other two were indicted on charges of delivering 3.65 billion KRW of special activity funds allocated to the NIS chief from May 2013 to September 2016 to the Blue House. Investigations revealed that they delivered between 50 million and 100 million KRW monthly to former President Park through former Blue House secretaries An Bong-geun, Lee Jae-man, and Jung Ho-sung.

The prosecution applied charges including bribery and loss of state funds. In court, a key issue was whether the NIS chiefs qualified as accounting-related personnel, a condition for establishing the loss of state funds charge.

The first trial acquitted them of bribery, ruling there was no job-relatedness or quid pro quo regarding the money delivered by the NIS chiefs, but found them guilty of loss of state funds, sentencing Nam to 3 years in prison and Lee Byung-gi and Lee Byung-ho to 3 years and 6 months each.

The second trial held that since the NIS chiefs were not accounting-related personnel, the aggravated punishment clause for loss of state funds applicable to such personnel could not be applied. It applied only embezzlement charges, sentencing Nam to 2 years and Lee Byung-gi and Lee Byung-ho to 2 years and 6 months each.

However, the Supreme Court ruled that the NIS chiefs do qualify as accounting-related personnel and that the loss of state funds charge should be recognized. It also partially acknowledged the bribery charges, overturned the lower court's ruling, and remanded the case.

Following the Supreme Court's judgment, the retrial recognized the loss of state funds charge and some bribery charges, sentencing Nam to 1 year and 6 months in prison, and Lee Byung-gi and Lee Byung-ho to 3 years and 3 years and 6 months, respectively.

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