Court to Deliver First Trial Verdict Today on Yoon Seok-yeol's Mother-in-law's Alleged Forgery of Bank Account Balance Certificate

On September 28, Choi Eun-soon, the mother-in-law of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who was sentenced to prison in the first trial on charges including 'fraudulent receipt of nursing care benefits' and released on bail after two months, is attending the continued second trial at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The first trial sentencing hearing for Choi Eun-soon (75), mother-in-law of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, who was indicted on charges of forging a bank balance certificate during a land purchase process, will be held on the 23rd.

Judge Park Se-hwang of Criminal Division 8 at Uijeongbu District Court will conduct the sentencing hearing at 11 a.m. in courtroom 7 for Choi, who was indicted on charges including forgery of private documents, use of forged private documents, and violation of the Real Name Real Estate Act.

Choi was indicted for conspiring with Ahn (59) from April to October 2013 during the purchase of land in Dochon-dong, forging a bank balance certificate to make it appear as if 34.7 billion KRW was deposited in the bank, and then using it. She is also charged with contracting and registering the Dochon-dong land purchase under the names of Ahn's son-in-law and others.

Ahn is currently undergoing a separate trial at the same court.

During the hearing, sentencing for Kim (44), who was indicted for assisting Choi in forging the bank balance certificate, is also expected to be delivered.

At the sentencing hearing held on the 2nd, the prosecution requested a one-year prison sentence for Choi and a six-month prison sentence for Kim.

At that time, in her final defense, Choi said, "I am very sorry for causing social controversy," but added, "(The former business partner) deliberately requested and used the forged balance certificate."

Choi's defense attorney also stated, "The forgery of the balance certificate was due to the persistent request of the former business partner," and asked for leniency, saying, "No actual damage occurred."

In particular, Choi's defense attorney appealed to the court to acquit her of the charge of using forged private documents, arguing that Choi did not directly use the forged bank balance certificate.

Meanwhile, Choi was sentenced to three years in prison and detained in the first trial for charges of illegally opening a nursing hospital and fraudulently receiving nursing benefits, but was released on bail in September and is currently undergoing an appeal trial while out on bail.

At the appeal sentencing hearing held on the 21st before the Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Yoon Kang-yeol, Park Jae-young, Kim Sang-cheol), the prosecution requested the court to dismiss the defendant's appeal and maintain the first trial sentence of three years in prison.

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