Lee Jong-ho, former CEO of Blackpearl Invest and a close associate of First Lady Kim Keon-hee, received a reduced sentence in his appeals trial on charges of violating the Attorney Act. The court ruled that bribery unrelated to the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case falls outside the scope of the special counsel investigation into Kim Keon-hee.
The 3rd Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Seung-han) on Wednesday sentenced Lee to one year and two months in prison and ordered forfeiture of 71.1 million won on charges of violating the Attorney Act. The first trial had handed down a sentence of one year and six months.
The appeals court dismissed charges related to bribery allegedly received to cover up embezzlement unrelated to the Deutsch stock manipulation case, ruling that such matters fall outside the special counsel's investigative jurisdiction. A dismissal of indictment terminates proceedings without substantive judgment when formal litigation requirements are lacking or procedural defects exist.
"In this case, it is difficult to see the lobbying targets as directly related to Kim Keon-hee or the Deutsch stock manipulation case," the court stated. "The fact that accomplice Lee Jeong-pil was a party to the bribery alone is not sufficient grounds to include this in the special counsel's investigative scope."
However, regarding the trial lobbying related to the Deutsch stock manipulation case, the court rejected the defense's motion for dismissal, stating that "the special counsel has a legitimate need to investigate this matter together in order to clarify suspicions surrounding the stock manipulation case."
"If the public comes to suspect that court proceedings are being influenced by improper external forces, the fairness of criminal procedures will suffer fatal damage," the court noted. "Demanding money for trial lobbying while flaunting connections with the First Lady and the head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials constitutes a serious crime that undermines judicial independence and fairness, making severe punishment inevitable."
The court explained its sentencing rationale: "Although the defendant did not cooperate during the initial investigation and circumstances after the crime were unfavorable, we considered that he acknowledged the facts and showed remorse by the appeals trial."
Lee was indicted in August last year for violating the Attorney Act. He is accused of receiving approximately 80 million won from Lee Jeong-pil, the primary mastermind of the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case, in exchange for promising to help secure a suspended sentence in the criminal trial. The first trial found Lee guilty regarding 79.1 million won of the total approximately 80 million won, sentencing him to one year and six months in prison with forfeiture of 79.1 million won.
