Im Jongheon Refuses to Testify Over 200 Times in Yang Seungtae Trial on 'Judicial Farming' Scandal

Former Deputy Chief of the Court Administration Office, Im Jong-heon, appeared as a witness in the trial of former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae on charges of 'judicial corruption' but refused to testify on most occasions.

Former Deputy Chief Im Jong-heon of the Court Administration Office, accused of 'judicial farming' / Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the 7th, Im appeared as a witness at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 35-1 (Presiding Judges Lee Jong-min, Im Jeong-taek, Min So-young) during the trial of former Chief Justice Yang, former Justice Park Byeong-dae, and former Justice Go Young-han.

On that day, Im refused to answer most of the over 200 questions posed by the prosecution, stating, "I refuse to testify." He also argued, "Although the court will decide, this kind of (meaningless) interrogation method is inappropriate." Im had also submitted a written statement refusing to testify to the court on the 26th of last month.

He was indicted earlier than former Chief Justice Yang in November 2018 in connection with the judicial corruption case and is being tried separately. According to Article 148 of the Criminal Procedure Act, a witness may refuse to testify if there is a concern that the testimony may reveal facts that could lead to criminal prosecution, indictment, or a guilty verdict against themselves.

The prosecution pointed out, "It is regrettable that although he actively disputes facts and legal issues in his own trial, he refuses to respond in this setting," and added, "It is necessary to keep a record of what the main questions were in the litigation records."

Im also expressed opinions such as "subjective thoughts based on plea bargaining," "questions that require imagination," and "absurd" in response to some of the prosecution's questions.

When the prosecution asked back, "Why do you say it is absurd?" Im retorted, "I am appearing as a witness, not being interrogated by the prosecutor as a defendant, am I?"

Former Chief Justice Yang and others were indicted on 47 charges on February 11, 2019, and have been undergoing the first trial for about four years and four months. They were prosecuted for unjustly interfering with and delaying several lawsuits, including compensation claims filed by victims of forced labor under Japanese rule against Japanese war crime companies, and for imposing personnel disadvantages on judges who criticized judicial administration.

Since Im is effectively the last witness in the case against former Chief Justice Yang, it is expected that after the procedures scheduled for mid-next month conclude, a final trial hearing will be held to hear the closing arguments from the prosecution and the defendants.

Former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae accused of abusing judicial administrative power. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

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