▲ Senior Judge Ji Gwi-yeon
The first trial for Senior Judge Ji Gwi-yeon of the Seoul Northern District Court, who was indicted on allegations of receiving drinks entertainment, is set to begin next month.
According to legal circles today (Nov. 2), Judge Lee Jae-wook of Criminal Single Department 10 at the Seoul Central District Court will hold a preparation hearing for Senior Judge Ji on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act at 11:00 a.m. on December 2.
A preparation hearing is a procedure to discuss evidence plans and other matters prior to the official trial proceedings, and the defendant is not required to attend.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials indicted Senior Judge Ji without detention on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. The agency stated that around August 2023, he had two lawyers pay for drinks worth 4.09 million won at a reservation-only bar in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, thereby receiving entertainment equivalent to about 1.36 million won per person.
Because a quid pro quo relationship between the entertainment and the judge's official duties was not proven, bribery charges were not applied.
The allegations against Senior Judge Ji first surfaced in May of last year when lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea claimed that he had received drinks entertainment from persons related to his duties at a bar in Gangnam, Seoul.
Receiving a complaint from civic groups and others, the Corruption Investigation Office launched an investigation that same month and indicted Senior Judge Ji without detention last September, about one year and four months after the investigation began.
Senior Judge Ji's side stated, "He briefly attended a gathering with junior colleagues and left right away," adding, "Even if he had remained at the gathering until the end as the Corruption Investigation Office claims, the amount of money and valuables provided by the same person does not exceed 1 million won."
As the presiding judge of Criminal Settlement Division 25 at the Seoul Central District Court, Senior Judge Ji presided over the first-instance trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of heading an insurrection, sentencing him to life imprisonment in February of this year.
He subsequently moved to the Seoul Northern District Court during the regular personnel reshuffle that same month.
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