The Supreme Court is set to deliver its final ruling on Kim Geon-hee, who was sentenced to four years in prison in the second trial for charges including stock manipulation related to Deutsche Motors and bribery involving the Unification Church, on July 16. The key issue is whether the Supreme Court will uphold the second trial's decision, which expanded the scope of guilt regarding some stock manipulation charges and the bribery allegations.
According to legal sources on July 11, the Supreme Court's second division, led by Justice Park Young-jae, will announce its ruling on Kim's appeal regarding violations of the Capital Markets Act, intermediary bribery under the Special Act, and violations of the Political Funds Act at 10:15 a.m. on July 16 in the Supreme Court's courtroom No. 1 in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
This ruling will mark the first Supreme Court decision in Kim's case, coming 79 days after the second trial's verdict on April 28.
The expedited handling of the case is in accordance with the Special Prosecutor's Act, which prioritizes cases filed by special prosecutors. The law mandates that the first trial be concluded within six months of the indictment, and the second trial and appeals must be decided within three months of the previous ruling.
Kim is accused of participating in stock manipulation from October 2010 to December 2012 in collusion with former Deutsche Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, using methods such as high-priced purchases, false transactions, and collusive trading. The special prosecutor's office estimates that Kim gained approximately 811.44 million won through these illegal activities.
She is also accused of receiving expensive gifts in exchange for resolving issues for the Unification Church. From April to July 2022, Kim allegedly received gifts worth about 80 million won, including a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag, through Jeon Seong-bae, known as 'Geon-jin Beopsa.'
Additionally, she is charged with receiving approximately 27 million won worth of free political polling results from political broker Myung-tae Kyun in collusion with former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
In the first trial, only some of the intermediary bribery charges related to the Unification Church were found guilty, resulting in a sentence of one year and eight months for Kim. The charges of stock manipulation related to Deutsche Motors and the violation of the Political Funds Act concerning the free polling were ruled not guilty.
The second trial, however, overturned some of the first trial's not guilty verdicts regarding Deutsche Motors' stock manipulation. It also broadened the scope of guilt concerning the gifts received from the Unification Church.
As a result, Kim's sentence was increased to four years in prison and a fine of 50 million won. The court also ordered the confiscation of the Graff necklace and the recovery of 20.94 million won.
However, the charge of receiving free polling results from Myung-tae Kyun was upheld as not guilty in both the first and second trials.
In the appeal, a key issue will be whether the second trial misinterpreted the law regarding Kim's collusion and involvement in the stock manipulation process. The court will also review whether there was a recognized connection and compensation between the gifts from the Unification Church and the requests made to Kim.
If the Supreme Court finds no legal misinterpretation or procedural violations in the lower court's ruling, it will dismiss the appeals from Kim and the special prosecutor's office, confirming the four-year sentence. Conversely, if it identifies issues with the application of the law in the lower court's ruling, it may send the case back to the Seoul High Court for retrial.
On the same day, the Supreme Court's second division, led by Justice Eom Sang-pil, will also hear the appeal of Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, who was sentenced to two years in prison in the first and second trials for receiving illegal political funds of 100 million won.
According to legal sources on July 11, the Supreme Court's second division, led by Justice Park Young-jae, will announce its ruling on Kim's appeal regarding violations of the Capital Markets Act, intermediary bribery under the Special Act, and violations of the Political Funds Act at 10:15 a.m. on July 16 in the Supreme Court's courtroom No. 1 in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
This ruling will mark the first Supreme Court decision in Kim's case, coming 79 days after the second trial's verdict on April 28.
The expedited handling of the case is in accordance with the Special Prosecutor's Act, which prioritizes cases filed by special prosecutors. The law mandates that the first trial be concluded within six months of the indictment, and the second trial and appeals must be decided within three months of the previous ruling.
Kim is accused of participating in stock manipulation from October 2010 to December 2012 in collusion with former Deutsche Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, using methods such as high-priced purchases, false transactions, and collusive trading. The special prosecutor's office estimates that Kim gained approximately 811.44 million won through these illegal activities.
She is also accused of receiving expensive gifts in exchange for resolving issues for the Unification Church. From April to July 2022, Kim allegedly received gifts worth about 80 million won, including a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag, through Jeon Seong-bae, known as 'Geon-jin Beopsa.'
Additionally, she is charged with receiving approximately 27 million won worth of free political polling results from political broker Myung-tae Kyun in collusion with former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
In the first trial, only some of the intermediary bribery charges related to the Unification Church were found guilty, resulting in a sentence of one year and eight months for Kim. The charges of stock manipulation related to Deutsche Motors and the violation of the Political Funds Act concerning the free polling were ruled not guilty.
The second trial, however, overturned some of the first trial's not guilty verdicts regarding Deutsche Motors' stock manipulation. It also broadened the scope of guilt concerning the gifts received from the Unification Church.
As a result, Kim's sentence was increased to four years in prison and a fine of 50 million won. The court also ordered the confiscation of the Graff necklace and the recovery of 20.94 million won.
However, the charge of receiving free polling results from Myung-tae Kyun was upheld as not guilty in both the first and second trials.
In the appeal, a key issue will be whether the second trial misinterpreted the law regarding Kim's collusion and involvement in the stock manipulation process. The court will also review whether there was a recognized connection and compensation between the gifts from the Unification Church and the requests made to Kim.
If the Supreme Court finds no legal misinterpretation or procedural violations in the lower court's ruling, it will dismiss the appeals from Kim and the special prosecutor's office, confirming the four-year sentence. Conversely, if it identifies issues with the application of the law in the lower court's ruling, it may send the case back to the Seoul High Court for retrial.
On the same day, the Supreme Court's second division, led by Justice Eom Sang-pil, will also hear the appeal of Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, who was sentenced to two years in prison in the first and second trials for receiving illegal political funds of 100 million won.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.