[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The conviction of lawyer Kim Sang-chae (53, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 25), who was indicted for accepting bribes from detainees in detention centers to arrange single cells, has been finalized.
The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Ahn Cheol-sang) announced on the 10th that it upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing Kim to 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (accepting bribes for mediation).
The court stated, "There is no error in the lower court's judgment regarding the establishment of the crime of accepting bribes for mediation and the scope of a lawyer's duties."
Kim was indicted on charges of receiving a total of 33 million won (11 million won per person) from three detainees under the pretext of consultation fees, promising to move them from shared rooms where multiple inmates live to single cells.
During the trial, the key issue was whether Kim's act of receiving money to move detainees to single cells could be considered a legitimate part of his legal activities.
The first trial court did not view Kim's actions as part of legitimate legal work and judged his crime to be serious, sentencing him to 10 months in prison.
The appellate court also pointed out, "This case is a serious crime that greatly damages the public interest status of lawyers and causes distrust in the entire judiciary," and ruled guilty.
However, it reduced the sentence to 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation, stating, "The size of the financial gain is also an important factor in sentencing, and the defendant's ultimate gain was not large."
Meanwhile, Kim is a former judge and served as the vice chairman of the Bareunmirae Party Policy Committee in 2018.
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