Former lawmaker Hong Moon-jong was imprisoned for four years

Former lawmaker Hong Moon-jong, 66, who was tried on charges of receiving bribes while serving as a member of the National Assembly and embezzling private tutoring funds, was sentenced to four years in prison at the first trial. However, the court did not imprison Hong Jeon in court. There is no fear of fleeing and considering the right of defense at the appeals trial.

On the 1st, the 21st Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (President Kim Mi-ri) sentenced former lawmaker Hong, who was charged with the aggravated punishment law for certain crimes (embezzlement), to one year in prison for bribery and three years in prison for other crimes such as embezzlement. .

Rep. Hong’s charges are largely divided into two contents. First, it was a crime related to bribery received while serving as a member of the National Assembly.

The prosecution was charged with the charges that former Congressman Hong, who served as the chairman of the Future Creation Science Broadcasting and Communication Committee in the 19th National Assembly, received requests from IT technology-related companies for free use of high-end cars, and received 10 million won worth of public diagnosis and 20 million won in cash. did.

The court admitted guilty of only the part that former Congressman Hong was guilty of riding the Equus limousine free of charge from June 2013 to September 2014 and “taken an unknown gain.” It has been acknowledged that it has benefited from job-related benefits in relation to Equus Lease. However, he thought that it was impossible to determine in detail how much profit was received. During the same period, the prosecutor indicted the ‘full lease payments’ worth 52 million won as profits obtained by Congressman Hong. The court explained that it is difficult to view the full lease payments as profits obtained, and that there is no other evidence to estimate the profits.

The judge said, “The amount of lease payments is bound to vary depending on various contract conditions such as the amount of deposit or amount paid, the lease term, and insurance conditions,” and “recognizing the paid lease payments as property gains acquired by the defendant free of charge using the vehicle. Is difficult.” The court said, “The profit taken by the defendant has no choice but to be recognized as an intangible profit that allows the defendant to use an Equus limousine car at the will of the defendant without any financial burden.”

For this reason, the court ruled by applying the crime of bribery under the criminal law, not the bribery under the special price law in which Congressman Hong was charged. Under the criminal law, bribery charges are lower than those under the Special Act, and fines equal to the bribery received are not imposed. The court decided that there was no job-related relationship with the other alleged Gongjindan. The accusation of receiving 20 million won in cash ruled that the receipt was not recognized.

Another allegation of former lawmaker Hong was the charge of funding from Kyungmin Academy and Kyungmin University. Hong, the son of the founder of Kyungmin Academy, served as chairman of the board and president of Kyungmin University.

The prosecution indicted by applying charges such as embezzlement under the Special Act, saying that Hong’s 2012 school fund was used for personal use by decorating it as’the money for calligraphy’ when the museum was founded. In addition, while buying a building in Uijeongbu with Gyeongmin University funds, he was also charged with embezzling about 3.3 billion won by treating it as if it was donated by Kyungmin Academy. In addition, when the police cracked down while running an unlicensed school, Gyeongmin International Christian School, they were also charged with the crime of assaulting an offender, saying that the staff at Kyungmin University were to be punished by decorating them as real operators.

In the ruling, the judge explained the reason for the sentence, saying, “They had strong control over the school corporation, and the property that had to be used only for a given purpose was transferred like personal property.” He also said, “The reason why the school officials who are in control of the foundation and who are difficult to disobey their orders in fact be punished instead is a violation of the state’s judicial function to discover substantive truths using power.”

Reporter Lee Sujeong [email protected]