Screenshot of news related to Heo Jae-ho, former chairman of Daeju Group. (Source: MBC 8 o'clock News Desk)
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Heo Jae-ho, former chairman of Daeju Group (78), who sparked controversy over ‘emperor labor’ by attempting to replace a fine exceeding 20 billion won in 2014 with labor valued at 500 million won per day, is returning to the country to attend a trial on tax evasion charges.
At the third hearing on the violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (tax evasion) held on the 15th at the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 11 (Chief Judge Jeong Ji-seon), Heo’s lawyer stated, “Heo will return from New Zealand on the 18th, undergo two weeks of self-quarantine, and then attend the trial scheduled for the 19th of next month.”
The lawyer submitted to the court a photo of the flight reservation documents, the defendant’s position on the charges, and a photo of the summons received locally in New Zealand.
At the previous second hearing, the lawyer had stated, “We will prepare for attendance at the trial once the suspension of flights due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is lifted.”
Heo was prosecuted on charges of failing to pay about 500 million won in capital gains tax and about 6.5 million won in comprehensive income tax on dividends from nominee stocks during the sale of shares of Daehan Fire & Marine Insurance held under the names of three people, including H, who was in a de facto marital relationship with him from May to November 2007.
Heo claimed that H was the owner of the shares, but since H’s whereabouts could not be confirmed, the prosecution dismissed H as a witness and suspended the investigation. The investigation was resumed at the end of 2018, and Heo was indicted in July last year.
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