Former Daejoo Group Chairman Heo Jae-ho Absent Again from Tax Evasion Trial

Former Daeju Group Chairman Huh Jae-ho (82), who was indicted on tax evasion charges and has not appeared in court for over four years, once again failed to attend the trial. However, Huh’s legal representative suggested the possibility of his future court appearance, stating, “There is no reason for former Chairman Huh not to enter the country once he pays all the taxes.”

Gwangju District Court. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Criminal Division 11 of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Go Sang-young) resumed the trial on the 12th against former Chairman Huh, who was indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (tax-related), but postponed the trial due to the defendant’s absence.

At the trial, Huh’s lawyer revealed that he had paid approximately 1 billion KRW in total taxes, including about 500 million KRW in capital gains tax, around 65 million KRW in comprehensive income tax on dividends from stocks held under others’ names, and additional penalties. The lawyer also requested the court to issue an order for the submission of tax-related information so that the exact amount of the remaining unpaid taxes, which are still under dispute, can be determined and paid.

The prosecution stated that the process of executing a summons for former Chairman Huh is currently underway.

Huh was indicted without detention on charges of failing to pay about 500 million KRW in capital gains tax and approximately 6.5 million KRW in comprehensive income tax on dividends from stocks held under the names of three acquaintances during the sale of these stocks from May to November 2007.

Since the first trial began in August 2019, Huh has continuously failed to appear in court, citing reasons such as heart disease and difficulties in travel due to COVID-19, causing the trial to be delayed for over four years.

The court had issued a warrant for Huh’s detention, but it could not be executed before its expiration because he remained overseas. Currently, the Ministry of Justice is coordinating with New Zealand authorities to prepare for the execution of the summons. Accordingly, the court plans to hold the next trial on the 10th of next month, awaiting either the execution of the summons or Huh’s appearance.

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