In the 3rd Nationwide Simultaneous Cooperative Head Election, a losing candidate who provided duty-free fuel and agricultural product gifts to campaign workers and cooperative members with voting rights was sentenced to a suspended prison term.
On the 29th, Kim Ji-yeon, Chief Judge of Criminal Division 6 at the Gwangju District Court, announced that A (61) and B (62), who were indicted for violating the Public Organizations Election Act (defamation), were sentenced to 5 months in prison with a 1-year suspension and a fine of 3 million won, respectively, and A was additionally sentenced to 120 hours of community service.
A was charged with giving campaign worker B duty-free fuel worth 80,000 won (54 liters) and goods worth 1.47 million won, including rice and fruit, over about four months starting from November 2022, before the election for the head of a certain Nonghyup (National Agricultural Cooperative Federation).
B was charged with receiving money and goods from A under the pretext that fuel was needed for the car to persuade cooperative members.
Additionally, they were also accused of visiting the homes of cooperative members with voting rights together and giving traditional liquor as gifts.
A claimed, "I only gave a sack of rice to B, with whom I have a close relationship, and a box of fruit obtained from an acquaintance as holiday gifts, not for the purpose of providing goods for election campaigning."
A, who had served as an auditor of the Nonghyup, ran as a candidate for the cooperative head and committed such election law violations but reportedly lost the election.
Chief Judge Kim stated, "A committed the crime while serving as an auditor of the Nonghyup, and the scale of goods provided to voters or their families is not insignificant," adding, "Considering the conflicting legal testimonies of A and B and the eyewitness statements of other cooperative members, guilt is recognized."
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