Suspended Sentence for Heo Inhoe, Former Activist, in 'Solar Power Solicitation and Mediation Allegations' Case

Heo In-hoe, former chairman of the Green Dream Cooperative (60), who was prosecuted on charges of receiving money and goods in exchange for subcontracting solar power facility construction to unqualified companies and soliciting various projects, was sentenced to probation in the first trial.

Heo In-hoe, former chairman of the Green Dream Cooperative. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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On the 5th, Judge Heo Myung-san of the Seoul Northern District Court Criminal Division 12 recognized some of Heo's charges, including violation of the Attorney-at-Law Act, violation of the National Subsidy Management Act, and violation of the Labor Standards Act, and sentenced him to 1 year and 6 months in prison with 2 years probation and a fine of 15 million won.

The court found Heo guilty of subcontracting solar power facility construction to unqualified companies, soliciting the relocation of a food waste leachate treatment plant, and failing to pay employees' wages on time. However, he was acquitted of charges related to soliciting the supply of wireless eavesdropping detection devices and solicitation/mediation related to the selection of target sites for the ecological conservation cooperation fund refund project.

Kim (67), who attempted to solicit the relocation of the food waste leachate treatment plant by leveraging his younger brother, a former member of the National Assembly and former district mayor, was sentenced to 8 months in prison with 2 years probation and a fine of 15 million won. The Green Dream Cooperative was fined 3 million won. Yoo (60), who was identified as an accomplice in the ecological conservation cooperation fund refund project solicitation, was acquitted.

Heo, elected chairman of the Green Dream Cooperative in 2015, is accused of fraudulently embezzling subsidies by subcontracting solar power facility installation work to unlicensed contractors after being selected for the Seoul City solar mini power plant project and pretending to have installed the facilities himself.

Heo served as the president of the Korea University Student Council in the 1980s and is classified as a member of the '386 activist' generation. In 2000, he ran for the general election under the Millennium Democratic Party, and in 2004 under the Uri Party. He also served as the youth committee chairman of the Uri Party from 2004 to 2005.

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