Prosecutors Demand 1-Year Prison Sentence for Bae Mo in Gyeonggi-do Corporate Card Misuse Allegation

The prosecution has requested a prison sentence for Bae Mo, a former Grade 5 special-appointed public official at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, who was indicted without detention on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act in connection with allegations of misuse of a corporate card by Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Key figure Bae Mo in the 'corporate card misuse suspicion' case involving Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, member of the Democratic Party of Korea [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 19th, at the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 12 (Chief Judge Hwang In-seong), during the sentencing hearing for Bae's violation of the Public Official Election Act, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Bae to one year in prison.

The prosecution stated, "The purpose of the Public Official Election Act, which aims to contribute to the development of democratic politics, was undermined by this crime," and added, "The defendant's crime was premeditated, yet he denies the crime and has not shown sincere remorse, so a severe punishment is necessary."

Bae is accused of making a donation act under the Public Official Election Act by having the meal expenses of three people, excluding Kim Hye-kyung, who dined with Kim and three party-related personnel at a restaurant in Seoul on August 2, 2021, paid with the Gyeonggi Provincial Government's corporate card, amounting to 78,000 won.

He is also charged with making false statements under the Public Official Election Act by denying that he handled private matters for the candidate's family when allegations of Kim Hye-kyung's 'corporate card misuse' and 'illegal protocol' surfaced in January 2021.

In his final statement, Bae said, "When media reports came out saying I was privately hired and worked without a desk at the provincial government office, I felt all my work was being denied and I just wanted to appeal that 'this was not a private hiring.' I did not intend to make false statements to influence the election."

He added, "I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize once again to the whistleblower who worked with me. I will live with remorse for the rest of my life," appealing to the court for leniency.

Bae's defense attorney, Kim Chil-jun, representative lawyer of the law firm Dasan, argued, "This case seems to have been investigated extensively, intertwined with political circumstances rather than simply focusing on the Public Official Election Act," and stated, "As the governor of Gyeonggi Province, the head of the largest metropolitan government in the country, there are considerations to be made in distinguishing between official duties and private affairs."

Bae is also accused of embezzlement by paying for Kim's personal meals with the Gyeonggi corporate card or illegally obtaining prescriptions under other people's names and delivering them to Kim from July 2018 to September 2021. However, this part is still under investigation by the prosecution. Investigations related to Kim Hye-kyung are also ongoing.

Considering the statute of limitations for election law offenses (September 9), the prosecution concluded the charges related to the Public Official Election Act last year and indicted Bae without detention.

The court had planned to conclude the trial on the 12th but postponed the hearing once after requesting the prosecution to amend the indictment. The court said, "It does not seem that the prosecution indicted Kim Hye-kyung as an accomplice, but the nuance in the indictment reads as if presuming her as an accomplice," and requested, "Please clarify the indictment by changing the subject to 'the defendant made the donation act'." In response, the prosecution amended the indictment to specify the subject of the donation act as the defendant, changing the phrase to "(Kim Hye-kyung) shared a Chinese set meal."