'Illegal Political Funds Allegations' Detention Review for Kwon Seong-dong and Hak Ja Han Dismissed... Detention Maintained

[Financial News] The detention of Kwon Seong-dong, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, and Hak Ja Han, president of the Unification Church, who are under suspicion of illegal political funds, will be maintained.
According to the legal community on the 2nd, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Appellate Division 8-3 (Presiding Judges Cha Seung-hwan, Choi Hae-il, and Choi Jin-sook) dismissed the detention review requests for Kwon and Han, both facing charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The court explained the reason for dismissal, stating, "Based on the results of the suspect's interrogation and the case records, the request for a detention review is deemed groundless."
The detention review hearing for Kwon Seong-dong lasted about an hour and forty minutes, from 2:10 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. The special prosecutor's team led by Min Joong-ki argued that Kwon posed a risk of evidence destruction, citing his use of a mobile phone registered under another name. They also maintained that the evidence was lawfully collected, as the charges listed in the warrant were materially and personally related to the case.
On the other hand, Kwon's legal team emphasized that the charges were not sufficiently substantiated, as they were based solely on the testimony of Yoon Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, whose credibility had not been verified. They further argued that the special prosecutor's team unlawfully collected evidence by including unrelated matters in the search and seizure warrant.
However, with the court siding with the special prosecutor's team, it appears that Kwon's legal arguments did not prevail.
The detention review hearing for Hak Ja Han followed, lasting about three hours and forty minutes from 4:00 p.m. to 7:40 p.m.
Hak Ja Han's legal team stated that most of Yoon's testimony was untrue and argued that, given her current health condition, it would be difficult for her to remain in detention. In her final statement, Hak Ja Han reportedly said, "I have no interest in politics" and expressed her distress.
With the detention of both individuals maintained, the special prosecutor's team plans to complete its investigation as quickly as possible and bring the case to trial. Considering that Kwon's detention period expires during the holiday, the special prosecutor's team is expected to indict him today.
The special prosecutor's team believes that in 2022, Hak Ja Han delivered 100 million won to Kwon Seong-dong through Yoon Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, and charged her with violating the Political Funds Act. Additionally, in April to July of the same year, Hak Ja Han was accused of being involved in delivering Chanel bags and other items to Kim Keon Hee through Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman, in exchange for lobbying on church matters (violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act). She also faces charges of embezzling church funds to purchase Chanel bags and instructing Yoon to destroy evidence in preparation for an investigation into her alleged overseas gambling. The special prosecutor's team concluded that Hak Ja Han attempted to merge religion and politics through Kwon Seong-dong, a so-called 'collusion of religion and politics.'
theknight@fnnews.com Reporter Jeong Kyung-soo Reporter