The Supreme Court has assigned a panel to hear the appeal of Kim Geon-hee, who is facing allegations of corruption related to public office appointments, known as the "selling positions" case.
On October 22, the Supreme Court designated a panel consisting of Justices Oh Kyung-mi, Kwon Young-jun, Park Young-jae, and Kim Sung-soo to handle the case. Justice Oh Kyung-mi will serve as the presiding judge.
Kim is accused of receiving approximately 100 million won worth of jewelry, including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and earrings, from Lee Bong-kwan, chairman of Seohui Construction, between March 15 and May 20, 2022, in exchange for business favors and requests for her son-in-law's public office appointment. She is also under investigation for receiving 2.65 million won worth of gold turtles from former National Education Commission Chairman Lee Bae-yong in connection with a request for his appointment.
Additionally, on September 8, 2022, she allegedly accepted a Vacheron Constantin watch valued at 39.9 million won from robot dog entrepreneur Seo Seong-bin in exchange for business support, and in February 2023, she received a painting worth 140 million won from former chief prosecutor Kim Sang-min in connection with a request for election support. Between June 20 and September 13, 2022, she is also accused of receiving Dior bags worth 5.4 million won from Pastor Choi Jae-young in relation to public service requests.
The first trial found Kim guilty on all charges, sentencing her to seven years in prison. The court also ordered the confiscation of the seized items, including the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, gold turtles, Vacheron Constantin watch, the painting by Lee Ufan, and Dior bags, along with a fine of 64.8 million won.
However, the second trial acquitted her of some charges, including the acceptance of the Vacheron Constantin watch, resulting in a reduced sentence of five years. The appellate court also ordered the confiscation of the assets and a fine of 24.4 million won for the charges upheld.
On October 15, the special prosecutor's team, led by Min Joong-ki, submitted a request to the Supreme Court panel to issue an arrest warrant for Kim.
Kim has been undergoing trial while in custody due to three major allegations: stock manipulation involving Deutsche Motors, a public opinion survey by Myung-tae Kyun, and receiving funds from the Unification Church. Her detention period is set to expire on October 31. Although the appellate court ruling was issued in April, the Supreme Court has delayed the appeal ruling by referring the case to a full bench for the public opinion survey issue.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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