▲ The Supreme Court building in Seocho-gu, Seoul
A former senior prosecutor indicted on charges of receiving 100 million won in cash in exchange for favors from former Nature Republic CEO Jung Woon-ho during the legal corruption scandal dubbed the "Jung Woon-ho Gate" has had his prison sentence finalized.
The Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Seo Kyung-hwan) finalized the lower court's ruling sentencing former prosecutor Park, who was put on trial for violating the Attorney-at-Law Act, to two years in prison and an order of forfeiture amounting to 92 million won today (Sep. 3).
Former prosecutor Park was accused of receiving 100 million won in cash along with requests for favors from former CEO Jung in 2014.
At the time, Nature Republic was pursuing business expansion by acquiring the business rights of company A, a subway shopping mall operator, while the Board of Audit and Inspection was auditing the process by which Seoul Metro (the predecessor of Seoul Metro) selected company A as the operating company.
It was found that former CEO Jung solicited former prosecutor Park—who was a high school junior of a high-ranking official at the Board of Audit and Inspection—to hush up the audit, and Park demanded money and valuables under the pretext that "expenses are needed."
Prosecutors brought former prosecutor Park and a money delivery agent identified as Choi to trial in May 2017, and Choi's sentence of one year in prison suspended for two years was finalized in December of that same year.
The first-instance trial for former prosecutor Park was suspended for about five years due to health reasons before resuming in April 2022, and in June of the following year, the first instance sentenced Park to two years in prison.
The second-instance ruling issued in October of last year maintained the same conclusion.
While former prosecutor Park's side took issue with the testimony of Choi, who was designated as the money delivery agent, the court ruled that "both the first-instance and appellate court testimonies of Choi are credible, and therefore the indictment fact that the defendant and Choi conspired to receive 100 million won from former CEO Jung has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt."
Although former prosecutor Park appealed this, the Supreme Court also dismissed the appeal today, ruling that there were no errors in the lower court's judgment.
Previously in 2016, the "Jung Woon-ho Gate"—a sweeping legal corruption scandal involving multiple legal professionals including lawyers who formerly served as chief prosecutors and presiding judges—unfolded, leading to massive investigations and the punishment of many.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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