The prosecution has requested a 40-year prison sentence in the appellate trial for Kim Bong-hyun, the former chairman of Star Mobility and a key figure in the 'Lime redemption scandal' (age 49).
Kim Bong-hyun, former chairman of Star Mobility and a key figure in the Lime Asset Management (Lime) incident [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 29th, the Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Lee Chang-hyung, Lee Jae-chan, Nam Ki-jung) requested the court to sentence Kim, who was indicted on charges including embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, to 40 years in prison at the appellate trial sentencing hearing for embezzlement. They stated, "Basically, it is the same as the first trial's sentence request, but please consider the circumstances after the crime." This is a heavier sentence than the 30 years handed down in the first trial, with the prosecution explaining that it reflects plans for escape and jailbreak.
The prosecution said, "(Kim) appealed to the court claiming innocence during the appellate trial, but secretly planned an escape," adding, "He meticulously prepared an escape operation plan, and it is clear that he intended to carry it out, so this is an important sentencing factor as a circumstance after the crime." In the previous hearing, the prosecution submitted Kim's escape plan as evidence to the court.
On the day, Kim said in his final statement, "After receiving a 30-year sentence, I have been spending my time thinking about how I might die, as if I were already dead," and added, "I admit that I am here because I committed wrongdoing, but no matter how much I think about it, the sentence given to me is too heavy." He said, "There are others who used the funds, and if the contents listed in the indictment had been traced one or two steps further, it could have been clearly proven that I did not use these funds," and "Personally, I have never used company money, so please allow me to be punished only for the mistakes I committed." The date for the second trial's sentencing is scheduled for the 19th of next month.
Previously, Kim cut off his electronic ankle bracelet and fled near Paldang Bridge in Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, just before his trial in November last year, but was caught 48 days later in an apartment in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Kim is accused of embezzling 130 billion won from Star Mobility and Suwon Passenger, which were invested in by Lime Asset Management from 2018 to 2020, and providing money to political circles. The first trial sentenced Kim to 30 years in prison and ordered the confiscation of 76,935,400,000 won. During the appellate trial, it was revealed last month that he had planned an escape with another inmate in the same detention center.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
