[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] The Supreme Court has upheld the prison sentence for Lee Jong-myung, former 3rd Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), who was indicted for tracking and surveilling slush funds of former presidents during the Lee Myung-bak administration.
On the 23rd, the Supreme Court's 1st Division (Presiding Justice No Tae-ak) confirmed the lower court's ruling sentencing Lee to six months in prison on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (loss of state funds), embezzlement in the course of duty, and violation of the National Intelligence Service Act.
Lee was prosecuted for allegedly conspiring with former NIS Director Won Sei-hoon between 2011 and 2012 to unlawfully use NIS funds for the 'Davidson Project,' aimed at tracking overseas slush funds of former President Kim Dae-jung, and the 'Salmon Project,' which involved repatriating overseas fugitives suspected of providing money to close aides of former President Roh Moo-hyun. He was also charged with ordering NIS special task force members to surveil actor Moon Sung-geun, and, along with former Director of North Korea Operations Kim Seung-yeon, instructing surveillance of First Lady Kwon Yang-sook’s visit to China and former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s visit to Japan.
The first trial court found Lee guilty only of the loss of state funds related to the surveillance of former Presidents Kim and Roh, acquitting him of other violations of the National Intelligence Service Act. The court ruled that the allegations of ordering surveillance of First Lady Kwon and former Mayor Park were unproven, sentencing Lee to eight months in prison and acquitting former Director Kim.
The appellate court reduced Lee’s sentence to six months, citing that he worked under former Director Won and did not use personal funds, and considering his decades of crime-free dedication to the country. However, the court sentenced former Director Kim, who was acquitted in the first trial, to six months in prison and six months of disqualification, stating there was no intelligence or situation indicating that First Lady Kwon and former Mayor Park met with North Korea, and that the activities had political motives.
The Supreme Court also found no legal errors in the lower court’s judgment and upheld the prison sentence as is.
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