Imingeol, former Director of Planning and Coordination Office at the Court Administration [Photo by Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] The prosecution has requested prison sentences for high-ranking judges who were indicted for participating in the abuse of judicial administrative power during the tenure of former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae.
On the 28th, at the sentencing hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 32 (Presiding Judge Yoon Jong-seop), the prosecution asked for a prison term of 2 years and 6 months each for Lee Min-geol, former Director of Planning and Coordination at the Court Administration Office (currently Chief Judge at Daegu High Court), and Lee Gyu-jin, former standing member of the Supreme Court Sentencing Commission. For Bang Chang-hyun, former Chief Judge of Jeonju District Court (currently Chief Judge at Daejeon District Court), and Shim Sang-cheol, former Chief Judge of Seoul High Court (currently Senior Judge at Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch), the prosecution requested prison terms of 1 year and 6 months each.
Lee, the former director, is accused of intervening in status confirmation lawsuits filed by former Unified Progressive Party lawmakers and attempting to dismantle groups of judges critical of judicial administration, such as the International Human Rights Law Research Association. Lee, the former standing member, is charged with illegally collecting internal confidential information from the Constitutional Court, interfering in trials related to the former Unified Progressive Party, and surveilling judges. Shim, the former high court chief judge, is accused of improperly directing that the appeals in administrative lawsuits filed by former Unified Progressive Party lawmakers be assigned to a specific trial panel. Bang, the chief judge, is charged with leaking the sentencing results and reasoning of cases involving former Unified Progressive Party lawmakers he was handling, at the request of the Court Administration Office.
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