Former Reporter Who Embezzled Hundreds of Millions in Agricultural Subsidies Denies Charges in Appeal Trial

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] A former regional daily newspaper reporter who was sentenced to prison in the first trial for embezzling hundreds of millions of won in agricultural business closure support funds through fraudulent means denied the charges again in the appeal trial.

The Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Yoo Hyo-young) held the first hearing of the appeal trial for A (51), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Management of Subsidies, among other charges.

A was sentenced to five years in prison in the first trial for submitting a forged sales confirmation showing the disposal of all 2,560 goats to Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, from June to October 2019, thereby embezzling approximately 407 million won in Free Trade Agreement (FTA) business closure support funds.

According to the 'FTA Agriculture and Fisheries Act,' only those who raised goats before December 12, 2014, and disposed of all of them by October 2019 to close their business are eligible to receive closure support funds for that item.

A’s defense attorney argued, "The original court wrongly judged that the defendant did not dispose of all the goats, based on the fact that the defendant continued to raise goats even after receiving the closure support funds."

The defense contended that the goats raised before 2014, which were all disposed of and for which closure support funds were received, should be strictly separated from the goats raised in 2016, which were not included in the support target.

They claimed that the first trial’s judgment, which recognized that only 2,003 out of 2,560 goats were disposed of because the defendant continued raising goats after receiving the closure support funds, was incorrect.

The defense emphasized, "We can prove that the remaining 557 goats were all disposed of through transaction records and sales contracts exchanged with Kim."

Former reporters B (50) and C (65), who were indicted for obstructing official duties and other charges and found guilty in the first trial, admitted their charges and pleaded for leniency from the court.

B was sentenced to six months in prison with a two-year probation in the first trial for threatening by saying "I will not leave you alone if you make it into an article" when he visited the county office after failing the '2nd Gokseong-gun Small Business Support Mid-aged Entrepreneur Startup Fund Support Project' on March 4 last year.

C was sentenced to eight months in prison for hitting a table with his fist and threatening to write malicious articles, angry that his post on the Gokseong-gun website 'Gokseong Talk' was moved to 'Gokseong Newspaper Box' on March 25 last year, and for threatening to request an audit.

In court, C appealed that he quit his company and is making a living as a designated driver, and that his health has deteriorated to the point where there is a possibility of blindness. He showed tears, pleading, "Please show leniency just this once."

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