Rep. Jeong Chan-min Accused of Bribery Released on Bail... "Low Risk of Evidence Tampering"

by Kim Daehyun

Published 08 Mar.2022 15:33(KST)

Jeong Chan-min, Member of the People Power Party [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Jeong Chan-min, a member of the People Power Party (Yongin Gap) who was detained and indicted on charges of providing permit conveniences to a housing construction developer and receiving undue benefits while serving as the mayor of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, will be released on bail.

On the 8th, the Criminal Division 12 of Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Hwang In-seong) stated, "The examination of prosecution witnesses has been completed, reducing concerns about evidence tampering, and considering the need to guarantee the defendant's right to defense," and approved Jeong's bail application on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery).

Earlier, Jeong was accused of providing permit conveniences to real estate developer A while promoting housing construction in the Giheung-gu area of Yongin City from 2014 to 2018 during his tenure as mayor, and demanding bribes in return.

The prosecution also indicted real estate agent B, suspected of acting as a broker in this process, along with Jeong and A.

It was investigated that Jeong instructed the responsible officials to promptly issue permits related to A's project, and by February 2017, acquired four land parcels within the project site at about 406 million KRW cheaper than market price through his elder brother, friends, and other third parties. It was found that he received a total bribe worth approximately 462 million KRW, including 56 million KRW paid for land acquisition and registration taxes.

At that time, the market price of the land was about 2.5 billion KRW in total, but Jeong's family and acquaintances purchased the land for about 2 billion KRW, roughly 400 million KRW cheaper. As of August, the market price of these lands was approximately 4 billion KRW, more than double the price before the project.