Chairman Jay Y Lee Acquitted of All 23 Charges by Supreme Court
"Unjust Prosecution Negatively Impacted Korean Economy"
"Joint Work of Moon Administration, Civic Groups, Yoon and Han"
"Yoon Is Paying for His Deeds, Others Will Follow"
Former Daegu Mayor Hong Junpyo commented on the Supreme Court's final acquittal of Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y Lee on all 23 charges, including allegations of unfair merger and accounting fraud, stating, "This marks the end of a joint work by political prosecutors, the Moon Jaein administration, and left-wing civic groups."
On the 17th, Hong Junpyo wrote on his Facebook, "Today, all 19 charges (a total of 23 including additional indictments in the second trial) against Samsung Chairman Jay Y Lee have been conclusively acquitted. It was an atrocity committed by political prosecutors," he began.
He continued, "This was the product of Yoon Sukyeol and Han Donghoon, who, driven by a misguided sense of honor that conglomerates must be taken down at all costs, recklessly investigated at the instigation of the Moon Jaein administration and left-wing civic groups. In the meantime, how immense has the negative impact on the Korean economy been due to the contraction of Samsung Electronics?"
He also remarked, "In the case of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Seungtae, who was recklessly indicted with the aim of seizing control of the judiciary, all 48 charges were acquitted in the first trial and are now pending appeal. It is all but certain that the appeal will also result in acquittal, so isn't it time for the political prosecutors to withdraw their appeal? Due to the abuse of prosecutorial power for political purposes by these two hunting dogs, how many people in the conservative and right-wing camp have continued to suffer?"
He concluded, "One is now paying the price for his deeds, and the other will soon face the consequences as well. Some media outlets, who flattered these so-called 'top prosecutors of Joseon'?who are nothing more than the top hounds of Joseon?by distorting scholarship to curry favor with the world, should also reflect on themselves," he said angrily.
Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y Lee is returning to Korea through Gimpo Airport Business Aviation Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on March 28. Photo by Jinhyung Kang
Meanwhile, on this day, the Supreme Court's Third Division (presiding Justice Oh Seokjun) upheld the lower court's acquittal of Lee on all charges, including unfair trading and price manipulation under the Capital Markets Act, and breach of trust. In February of last year, the first trial acquitted Lee and others of all 19 charges, and in February of this year, the second trial also acquitted him of all 23 charges, including additional indictments. The prosecution appealed the second trial's ruling, but the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal on this day.
The Supreme Court stated, "There was no error in the lower court's ruling that violated the rules of logic and experience, exceeded the limits of free evaluation of evidence, or misunderstood the relevant laws such as the Capital Markets Act and the Act on External Audit of Stock Companies, without conducting the necessary examination."
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