3-yr prison term sought for ex-DP deputy secretary general over bribery charges

All News 14:31 March 23, 2023

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors demanded a three-year prison sentence for a former deputy secretary general of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday on charges of receiving about 1 billion won (US$781,494) in bribes and illegal political funds from a businessman.

Lee Jung-geun, the former deputy secretary general, was charged with pocketing 940 million won from a businessperson, surnamed Park, between December 2019 and January last year in exchange for promises to lobby officials of the government and public institutions for business favors.

She was also accused of taking illegal political funds from Park in early 2020 while a parliamentary election was under way.

In a court hearing Thursday, prosecutors demanded the Seoul Central District Court sentence Lee to three years behind bars, along with an order to confiscate luxury goods she received from Park and a forfeiture of 980 million won.

In her final remarks to the court before the ruling, Lee argued she initially borrowed political funds from Park, but the businessman suddenly turned into a loan shark.

Park then demanded a large sum of money from her and spread malicious rumors before giving a false tip-off against her to the prosecution after she filed a lawsuit, Lee said.