"Second Trial Acquits Former and Current Prosecutors Accused of 'Kim Bong-hyun Alcohol Bribery'... 'Original Verdict Justified'"

Former Star Mobility chairman Kim Bong-hyun (49), who is called the main culprit of the 'Lime scandal,' and former and current prosecutors who received alcohol entertainment from him were acquitted again in the appellate court.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 24th, the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Appeal Division 3-1 (Presiding Judges Cho Sung-pil, Kim Sang-hoon, Lee Sang-hoon) upheld the original verdict of not guilty for former chairman Kim, prosecutor Na Mo, and lawyer Lee Mo, a former prosecutor, who were indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes related to Bribery and Illegal Solicitation. Prosecutor Na and lawyer Lee were charged with receiving entertainment worth more than 1 million won each from former chairman Kim at an entertainment establishment in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, in July 2019.

The court ruled that the first trial's judgment that the entertainment received per person was less than 1 million won was appropriate. The court stated, "It is reasonable to consider that not only former administrative officer Kim Mo but also former Lime Asset Management vice president Lee Jong-pil was present," and added, "Since the amount of entertainment the defendants received cannot be considered to have exceeded 1 million won, the original verdict of not guilty is deemed appropriate."

According to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, public officials must not receive, request, or promise money or valuables exceeding 1 million won per occasion or 3 million won per fiscal year from the same person.

The prosecution measured that when the total entertainment amount of 4.81 million won received by the defendants was equally divided among those present, prosecutor Na and lawyer Lee each received 1,145,333 won from former chairman Kim. However, the first trial court recognized the presence of former Blue House administrative officer Kim Mo and judged the entertainment amount to be 939,167 won, which is less than 1 million won, and acquitted the defendants on September 30 last year. The prosecution appealed on October 5 last year, dissatisfied with this decision.

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