▲ Senior Judge Ji Gwi-yeon
Senior Judge Ji Gwi-yeon of the Seoul Northern District Court, who had been under investigation over allegations of receiving room salon entertainment, has been indicted for accepting about 4.09 million won worth of drinks.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) applied charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act against Senior Judge Ji.
However, bribery charges were not applied as the connection and quid pro quo between the entertainment and the judge's duties were not proven.
Division 3 of the CIO investigation team (led by Senior Prosecutor Lee Dae-hwan) indicted Senior Judge Ji without detention on charges of violating the Act on Prohibition of Improper Solicitation and Provision of Money and Valuables.
Senior Judge Ji is accused of having two lawyers pay a bar bill worth approximately 4.09 million won at a reservation-only bar in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, around August 2023.
Dividing the total bar bill among three people, the hospitality received by Senior Judge Ji amounts to about 1.36 million won.
The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act stipulates that if a public official receives money, valuables, or hospitality exceeding 1 million won at one time from the same person, they shall be punished regardless of any connection to their duties or quid pro quo.
Considering that the providers of the entertainment were lawyers, the CIO investigated whether there was any quid pro quo, such as solicitation for favors in trials.
However, based on the fact that there were no cases handled by these lawyers assigned to the bench Senior Judge Ji belonged to at the time of the entertainment, it was determined difficult to apply bribery charges.
The CIO also verified a case where Senior Judge Ji, while working at the civil collegiate division of the Suwon District Court in 2013, delivered a ruling in favor of an appeal for a first-instance lost case handled by a lawyer in his party. However, considering that the time of the entertainment was about 10 years apart and the value of the lawsuit, it concluded that it was difficult to view it as compensation for past duties.
The CIO also conducted additional investigations based on photos estimated to have been taken by Senior Judge Ji and his party at the bar.
As a result, it was confirmed that there was a second instance where they gathered at the same location.
The CIO confirmed that in September 2024, five people including Senior Judge Ji spent about 4.16 million won on drinks at the same bar.
However, viewing that the hospitality per person was 830,000 won, which is less than 1 million won, and that it was difficult to recognize job relevance, this case was decided not to be prosecuted.
The allegations surrounding Senior Judge Ji's room salon entertainment surfaced in May of last year when lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea claimed that Senior Judge Ji received drink entertainment from persons related to his duties at a bar in Gangnam, Seoul.
At the time, Senior Judge Ji was presiding over Criminal Collegiate Division 25 of the Seoul Central District Court, trying the case of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of being the ringleader of an insurrection.
Prior to this, in March of the same year, he accepted former President Yoon's request for the cancellation of detention.
As the prosecution did not immediately appeal and ordered his release, former President Yoon was released 52 days after detention.
Following the raised suspicions, civic groups filed a complaint against Senior Judge Ji with the CIO in May of last year on charges of accepting bribes and violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
The CIO assigned the complaint to Investigation Division 3 on the 19th of the same month and launched an investigation.
Senior Judge Ji subsequently denied the allegations in court, stating, "The contents of the allegations are not true and I have never thought of going to such a place to receive entertainment."
However, the Democratic Party additionally released a photo of Senior Judge Ji taken with two companions at the bar.
In November of last year, the CIO initiated compulsory investigation by seizing Senior Judge Ji's taxi call records.
When search and seizure warrants for the bar owner's financial accounts and the mobile phones of those involved were dismissed, investigators persuaded the owner and witnesses to voluntarily submit financial transaction records and bar visit and payment data.
Based on this, the CIO summoned and investigated Senior Judge Ji and the providers of the hospitality from April to June of this year.
It was understood that Senior Judge Ji denied all allegations, giving statements to the effect that he could not remember the situation at the time.
The CIO held a investigation deliberation committee last July to deliberate on the direction of handling the case.
After continuing legal reviews, today (the 4th), 473 days after the case was assigned, the CIO indicted Senior Judge Ji solely on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act while deciding not to prosecute the remaining charges, including bribery.
The CIO stated, "We will continue to contribute to establishing official discipline by strictly investigating corruption cases involving high-ranking public officials in the future."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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