Prosecution Appeals Against 2nd Trial Acquittal of Former and Current Prosecutors in 'Kim Bong-hyun Drinking Entertainment' Case

The prosecution appealed after the appellate court acquitted former and current prosecutors who were charged with receiving alcohol entertainment from Kim Bong-hyun, the former chairman of Star Mobility (49), who is called the main culprit of the 'Lime Scandal,' following the first trial.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 31st, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office filed a notice of appeal yesterday to the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Appeals Division 3-1 (Presiding Judges Cho Seong-pil, Kim Sang-hoon, Lee Sang-hoon), which handled the case of former chairman Kim, prosecutor Na, and lawyer Lee Mo, a former prosecutor, who were indicted for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. The court maintained the original verdict on the 24th, acquitting them. Prosecutor Na and lawyer Lee were indicted on charges of receiving entertainment worth more than 1 million won each from former chairman Kim at a nightlife establishment in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, in July 2019.

The court ruled that the first trial's judgment that prosecutor Na and lawyer Lee received entertainment worth less than 1 million won per person was 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 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 were present," and added, "Since the amount of entertainment received by the defendants cannot be considered to exceed 1 million won, the original verdict acquitting them appears to be just."

Previously, the prosecution estimated 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, less than 1 million won, acquitting the defendants on September 30 of last year.

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