Sitting senior judge facing 'trial-deal' allegations to undergo detention hearing on 23rd

[The Financial News] A sitting senior judge accused of receiving money and valuables from a lawyer at a local law firm will face a decision on whether he will be taken into custody on the 23rd.
According to the legal community on the 19th, Judge Kim Jin-man of the Seoul Central District Court, who is in charge of warrants, will hold a pretrial detention hearing (arrest warrant hearing) on the 23rd for Judge A and Attorney B, who have been indicted on charges including bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
Judge A is suspected of having received about 3.7 million won worth of money and valuables from Attorney B, the managing partner of a local law firm and his high school alumnus, while serving at the Jeonju District Court. The items allegedly included cash, a gold ring given for his son’s first birthday, and perfume for his spouse.
There are also allegations that he was allowed to use, free of charge, a building owned by a company in which Attorney B and others are shareholders, using it as a private academy.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is reported to suspect that Judge A handled more than 20 cases taken on by Attorney B and reduced sentences at the appellate level. This is the first time in about 10 years that an arrest warrant has been sought for a sitting senior judge, since former senior judge Kim Soo-cheon, who was implicated in the Jung Woon-ho scandal in 2016.
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter