[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui, who was indicted on charges of receiving bribes worth hundreds of millions of won and sexual favors, was sentenced to prison in the appellate court.
The Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Junyoung Jeong) on the 28th sentenced former Deputy Minister Kim to 2 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of 5 million won on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The court also ordered the confiscation of 43 million won. Kim was acquitted in the first trial.
The appellate court ruled some bribery charges, which were acquitted in the original trial, as guilty. He was found guilty of receiving 43 million won from construction site owner Choi from 2000 to 2011. However, the court acquitted or dismissed charges related to receiving bribes worth about 103 million won from construction businessman Yoon Joong-cheon between 2006 and 2008. A dismissal is a ruling given when the conditions for a lawsuit are lacking.
Previously, Kim was indicted on charges of receiving bribes worth about 130 million won from Yoon. The 13 instances of sexual favors received from Yoon at a villa in Wonju and other locations between 2006 and 2007 were included in the indictment as bribes that cannot be quantified in monetary terms. Kim was also charged with receiving about 49 million won from businessman Choi from 2003 to 2011, and about 150 million won from Kim, the chairman of a certain savings bank.
Last month on the 16th, the prosecution requested the appellate court to sentence Kim to 12 years in prison, a fine of 700 million won, and confiscation of about 337.6 million won during the final arguments of the appeal trial.
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