Sent about 50,000 Support Texts, Accused of Misappropriating Corporate Funds
Andogul Asserts: "I Was Not Involved in Any of These Actions"
On the 23rd, at the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee's audit held at the Daejeon Regional Tax Office, Ando-gul, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is questioning. Photo by Yonhap News
During the 22nd National Assembly election last year, prosecutors requested a sentence that would nullify the election victory of Ando-gul (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Dongnam-eul), who was brought to trial on charges including operating an illegal phone promotion center.
On December 15, at the sentencing hearing held by the 12th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (Chief Judge Park Jaeseong), prosecutors asked the court to sentence Assemblyman Ando-gul to one year and six months in prison, a fine of 3 million won, and a forfeiture of 43.02 million won for violations of the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act. For Ando-gul's cousin, who was considered the main perpetrator, prosecutors sought two years in prison, and for the head of the election campaign, one year in prison.
For the remaining nine co-defendants who were also indicted, prosecutors requested fines ranging from 1.5 million to 9 million won and the forfeiture of any monetary compensation they received.
Explaining the reasons for the sentencing recommendations, the prosecutor stated, "As a political newcomer, Ando-gul, who was not well-known at the time, used funds from a corporation run by his cousin to cover the operating expenses of an economic research institute established to win the primary, and provided illegal financial incentives to participants in the primary campaign. Given the duration and degree of involvement, as well as the impact on the election results, the severity of the crime is significant."
Ando-gul was indicted for conspiring with his cousin and others to send approximately 50,000 text messages soliciting support from voters in his district through an automated simultaneous messaging system during the party primary between December 2023 and February of last year.
Additionally, Ando-gul was brought to trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act for receiving over 43 million won in corporate funds from his cousin's company, under the pretense of covering operating expenses for his economic research institute, between September 2023 and the following six months. They were also indicted for providing or receiving a total of 25.54 million won in illicit compensation to or from ten campaign workers responsible for sending text messages and other tasks.
In the final defense, Ando-gul's legal team argued, "The defendant was not involved in sending text messages, hiring staff, or providing financial incentives. The indictment is based solely on speculation from KakaoTalk group chat messages. The money donated to the economic research institute only appeared to be corporate funds from his cousin's company, but in reality, it was his cousin's personal money. There was no intent or evidence of illegal political donations." They asserted his innocence.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for the afternoon of January 30 next year. If a member of the National Assembly is convicted of violating the Public Official Election Act or the Political Funds Act and receives a confirmed sentence of a fine of 1 million won or more, the election result will be nullified.
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