Bail Denied for Former Gwangju Office of Education Official Accused of Unfair Interference in Auditor Appointment Process

Court: "Investigation of Accomplices Ongoing... Continued Detention Necessary"

The court has rejected the bail request of former Gwangju Office of Education HR team leader A, who was indicted and detained on charges of unfairly intervening in the hiring process of the superintendent's high school classmate as an auditor.

Gwangju District Court. Photo by Song Bohyun

On the 7th, Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 5, presided over by Senior Judge Ji Hyesun, did not accept the bail application of A (55), who was indicted on charges including forgery of official documents and violation of the Local Public Officials Act. The court stated, "An investigation into accomplices is ongoing, and there is a high possibility that the defendant may attempt to destroy evidence through a third party," determining that continued detention is necessary.

A is accused of unfairly intervening in the process of appointing Lee Jungseon, the superintendent's high school classmate, as auditor in August 2022. At the time, when a particular candidate received a low score, A allegedly said, "Someone too young should not become an auditor," and induced the judges to adjust the scores. As a result, the candidate's score was increased by a total of 16 points, leading to their final selection.

At the first trial held on the 27th of last month, A's side partially admitted to violating the Local Public Officials Act but claimed innocence regarding the remaining charges, arguing that the prosecution had excessively expanded the allegations. They also requested bail, citing that sufficient investigation had already been conducted while in detention and that the search and seizure at the Gwangju Office of Education had been completed, but the request was denied.

The prosecution strongly opposed bail, citing the ongoing investigation into accomplices, and the court sided with this view. The trial for A will continue along with further investigation of related parties.

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