'Violation of Political Funds Act' Geonjilbeopsa, Arrest Warrant Dismissed Again

Jeon Seong-bae, known as the 'Geonjin Beopsa,' who is accused of receiving illegal political funds from a preliminary candidate in the 2018 local elections, has once again avoided detention.

On the 9th, Judge Jeong Won, head of the warrant review division at the Seoul Southern District Court, held a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review) for Jeon and dismissed the warrant, stating that "there is room for legal dispute."

Jeon Seong-bae, known as the so-called 'Geonjin Beopsa' who is accused of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, is heading to the courtroom after attending the pre-arrest detention hearing at the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News

Judge Jeong ruled, "There is room for legal dispute as to whether a person who is not a politician but merely receives political funds under the pretext of delivering them to another politician can be considered a principal offender under the Political Funds Act."

He added, "Considering various actions of Jeon revealed during the investigation, it is difficult at this stage to recognize the necessity or appropriateness of detaining the suspect."

Jeon is accused of receiving about 100 million won by promising nomination from a preliminary candidate who ran in the Gyeongbuk Yeongcheon mayoral primary of the Liberty Korea Party, the predecessor of the People Power Party, during the 2018 local elections.

The prosecution had urgently arrested Jeon last month and applied for an arrest warrant, but the court dismissed the warrant, stating that the timing and method of receiving illegal political funds were not clearly confirmed. Subsequently, the prosecution conducted supplementary investigations and re-applied for the arrest warrant on the 6th.

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