'Gyeonggi-do Corporate Card Misuse Allegation' Defendant Bae's Sentencing Postponed... Court Requests Indictment Amendment

To the Prosecution: "Please Write the Charges Clearly"

The prosecution's sentencing recommendation for Bae Mo, a former Grade 5 special-appointed public official at Gyeonggi Provincial Government, who was indicted on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act related to the 'corporate card misuse suspicion' of Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been postponed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Criminal Division 12 of Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Hwang In-seong) requested the prosecution to "amend the indictment" during Bae's trial on the 12th, postponing the scheduled sentencing hearing to the 19th, one week later.

The court took issue with the part of the indictment concerning Bae's prohibited donation act, specifically the statement: "DaOO (Kim Hye-kyung) met three Democratic Party-related figures around noon on August 2, 2021, at a restaurant in Seoul and provided a lunch set worth a total of 78,000 KRW (26,000 KRW per person), asking for support for NaOO (Lee Jae-myung)."

The court said, "It does not seem that the prosecution listed Kim Hye-kyung as a co-conspirator in the indictment, but the nuance reads as if presuming her as such," and instructed the prosecution to "clarify the indictment by changing the subject to 'the defendant made the donation act'."

Besides the violation of the donation act, Bae is also charged with making false statements under the Public Official Election Act, denying that he handled private matters for the candidate's family when suspicions of Kim Hye-kyung's 'corporate card misuse' and 'illegal protocol' arose in January 2021. Through the Democratic Party's election campaign public relations team, he distributed an apology statement saying that "(the corporate card use) was not ordered by anyone," but the prosecution judged all of Bae's claims to be false.

Bae is also accused of embezzlement by using the Gyeonggi Province corporate card to pay for Kim's personal meals or illegally obtaining prescriptions under other people's names and delivering them to Kim from July 2018 to September 2021, but this part is still under investigation by the prosecution. The corporate card misuse identified so far is known to involve about 150 cases amounting to approximately 20 million KRW.

Considering that the statute of limitations for the election law expires on September 9, the prosecution first concluded the charges related to the Public Official Election Act last year and indicted Bae without detention. The investigation into Kim Hye-kyung's embezzlement charges is still ongoing, but Bae denies the allegations.

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