[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution has requested prison sentences in the appellate trial for former judges who were the first among those involved in the so-called 'judicial scandal' to be found guilty in the first trial.
On the 20th, during the sentencing hearing presided over by the 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Chief Judges Choi Su-hwan, Choi Seong-bo, Jeong Hyun-mi), the prosecution asked for a sentence of 2 years and 6 months imprisonment each for Lee Min-geol, former Director of Planning and Coordination at the Court Administration Office, and Lee Gyu-jin, former standing member of the Supreme Court Sentencing Commission. This is the same sentence the prosecution requested in the first trial.
The prosecution emphasized, "The defendants severely damaged public trust in the judiciary, and the sentence in the first trial was excessively lenient." They also referred to the acquittal in the criminal trial of Im Seong-geun, former Senior Presiding Judge of the Seoul Central District Court, who was impeached due to involvement in the judicial scandal allegations.
The prosecution stated, "Although the court recognized the unconstitutionality of the defendants' actions, it disappointed the public with a hollow and deceptive ruling that 'there was no authority to intervene in the trial, so the elements of abuse of power were not met.' This ruling has been criticized as potentially leading to a second judicial scandal."
They added, "Although the Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment trial, the minority opinion of the justices judged that there was a serious constitutional violation."
In his final statement, former Director Lee said, "As someone who held an important responsibility in judicial administration, I apologize for the occurrence of such events," and added, "I hope for a wise trial based on legal facts without any prejudice."
Former Standing Member Lee said, "While I contest the not guilty verdict, I do not claim that the acts in the indictment were justified," and added, "I apologize to those who believe they were harmed because of me, and I also want to express that I have gone through a difficult time."
The appellate sentencing hearing for former Director Lee and others will be held on the 27th of next month.
In the first trial, former Director Lee was found guilty of attempting to dismantle a group of judges critical of judicial administration during former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae’s tenure, and of discerning the presiding court’s inclination regarding cases involving members of the National Assembly, receiving a sentence of 10 months imprisonment with a 2-year probation. He was acquitted of charges related to attempting to interfere with the trial.
Former Standing Member Lee was found guilty of intervening in lawsuits confirming the status of former Unified Progressive Party local council members dissolved by the Constitutional Court’s decision, and of mobilizing dispatched judges to collect internal information from the Constitutional Court, receiving a sentence of 1 year and 6 months imprisonment with a 3-year probation.
This was the first guilty verdict among the 14 former and current judges indicted in the judicial scandal case during former Chief Justice Yang’s tenure.
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