Hwang Chang-gyu's 'Split Donations' Indictment Decision, Final Judgment by Supreme Court

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Supreme Court has made the final decision on whether the prosecution's dismissal of charges against former KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu for splitting political donations to members of the National Assembly was appropriate.

According to the court on the 12th, the KT Labor Human Rights Center recently filed a petition for reconsideration with the Criminal Division 30 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Bae Kwang-guk, Jo Jin-gu, Park Eun-young), which had dismissed their previous petition for reconsideration.

A petition for reconsideration is a system where the complainant or accuser requests the court to make a judgment instead of the prosecution when dissatisfied with the prosecution's dismissal. If the court accepts the petition, the prosecution must file charges. Conversely, if dismissed, the petitioner can file a further appeal, at which point the Supreme Court re-evaluates whether to prosecute.

In November last year, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office summarily indicted KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo and 10 other KT executives on charges of violating the Political Funds Act and embezzlement in the course of duty, and non-detained indictment was filed against former department head in charge of government relations Maeng Mo and four others, including KT as a corporation.

Maeng and others are accused of illegally donating 437.9 million won through 360 instances to 99 ruling and opposition lawmakers of the 19th and 20th National Assembly by creating slush funds of 1.15 billion won from 2014 to 2017 using a 'gift certificate laundering' method, where corporate funds were used to purchase gift certificates and then resold.

However, the prosecution dismissed charges against former Chairman Hwang, who was also accused alongside Maeng and others, stating it was difficult to recognize his involvement in the conspiracy.

The KT Labor Human Rights Center, which reported the case, appealed this decision, but when the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office made the same judgment in February, they filed a petition for reconsideration with the court. On the 6th, the court dismissed the petition, citing insufficient evidence to accept it.

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