Credibility of Lee Jung-geun's Phone Call Recording Recognized
Former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil's former lawmaker Yoon Kwan-seok, who was prosecuted in connection with the 'Democratic Party Convention Money Envelope' incident where money envelopes were distributed to incumbent Democratic Party lawmakers to ensure Song's election as party leader, has been sentenced to two years in prison.
On the 31st, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Oh Kyung-mi) dismissed Yoon's appeal in the final trial of the case involving violation of the Political Parties Act (bribery and inducement in the party leader election), thereby upholding the lower court's ruling sentencing Yoon to two years in prison.
The court stated the reason for dismissing the appeal, saying, "There is no error in the lower court's guilty verdict that violates the rules of logic and experience, exceeds the limits of free evaluation of evidence, or misinterprets the establishment of the offense under the Political Parties Act or the legal principles regarding the relationship between offenses."
Yoon was indicted on charges of instructing, demanding, or encouraging election campaign officials to provide cash to Democratic Party lawmakers with voting rights to elect former leader Song as the party leader ahead of the May 2021 Democratic Party convention (inducement of money related to the party leader election), and for actually receiving a total of 60 million won in two installments of 30 million won each (receipt of money related to the party leader election).
Kang Rae-gu, a key member of the campaign and former Standing Auditor of the Korea Water Resources Corporation, conveyed Yoon's request to Park Yong-su, who was Song's aide. Park was investigated to have provided 20 envelopes containing 3 million won each to Yoon on April 27-28, 2021.
During the investigation and trial, Yoon denied the charges, claiming that he only prepared the money envelopes in consultation with campaign members and did not instruct or demand, acting merely as a messenger.
However, the first trial court found that Yoon exercised sufficient discretion by specifically determining the amount provided and sentenced him to two years in prison. Kang, who faced charges of violating the Political Parties Act, the Political Funds Act, and bribery, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison, fined 6 million won, and ordered to pay a 3 million won fine.
Both appealed, but the second trial court upheld the same judgment.
At that time, the court criticized Yoon, saying, "Bribing voters with money is a serious crime that shakes the roots of democracy," and "The defendant who instructed and received money from influential regional committee heads during the party leader election process must be severely punished."
This ruling is the Supreme Court's first decision related to the Democratic Party Convention Money Envelope incident, which surfaced last April and shook the opposition parties.
The Supreme Court's confirmation of Yoon's guilt by finding no problem with the second trial court's judgment can be seen as recognizing the credibility of the key evidence?the recorded phone conversation of former Democratic Party Deputy Secretary-General Lee Jung-geun?and is expected to affect the other related cases.
The prosecution believes that the 60 million won prepared by Yoon was delivered to Democratic Party lawmakers over two days, April 28-29, 2021, to support former leader Song's election.
The prosecution separately indicted Yoon, former lawmakers Lee Sung-man and Lim Jong-sung, and lawmaker Heo Jong-sik on charges of receiving money envelopes. They were found guilty in the first trial and received suspended prison sentences, and are currently undergoing appeal trials.
Song Young-gil, former leader of the Democratic Party, who is suspected of distributing money envelopes at the party convention, is answering questions from reporters as he attends the warrant hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on December 18 last year. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@ [Image source=Yonhap News]
Former leader Song, considered the 'apex' of the suspicion, has also been indicted and is undergoing a first trial.
Meanwhile, the prosecution continues to investigate seven current and former Democratic Party lawmakers suspected of receiving money envelopes.
Earlier, through court rulings, the list of 11 attendees at a meeting of lawmakers supporting former leader Song held on April 28, 2021, in the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's small conference room was disclosed.
The list included Yoon, accused of distributing money envelopes; Heo Jong-sik, Lee Sung-man, and Lim Jong-sung, accused of receiving money envelopes; as well as Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Young-ho, Min Byung-duk, Park Sung-jun, Baek Hye-ryun, Jeon Yong-gi; former lawmaker Park Young-soon; and Hwang Un-ha of the Innovation Party.
Although the court did not make individual judgments on whether the other attendees received money envelopes, by acknowledging that money envelopes were distributed at the meeting and listing all attendees in the ruling, some analysts interpret this as the court effectively admitting the possibility that other attendees also received money envelopes.
However, except for former lawmaker Park, who failed to be re-elected and was investigated by the prosecution last July, the other six incumbent lawmakers have refused to respond to the prosecution's summons for ten months since January, citing National Assembly schedules and other reasons.
The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Jae-hoon), which is investigating this case, reportedly issued a final warning last week, after the conclusion of the National Assembly inspection of the Ministry of Justice and prosecution, ordering these incumbent lawmakers who have refused summons to appear for investigation by the prosecution by the 17th of next month.
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