Lee Hwa-young sentenced to four months for perjury over alleged prosecutor's office salmon drinking party... acquitted on Political Funds Act charge

[Financial News] Lee Hwa-young, the former Vice Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, who was indicted on charges including perjury after alleging that there had been a salmon-and-liquor party inside the prosecutors' office building, was sentenced to four months in prison in a Korean Jury Trial.

The 11th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court, presided over by Judge Song Byung-hoon, handed down the sentence on the 20th to Lee, who had been indicted on charges including violation of the Act on Testimony and Appraisal before the National Assembly, violation of the Political Funds Act, and abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.
The court found Lee guilty only of perjury over the alleged salmon drinking party. It acquitted him of the Political Funds Act charge and dismissed the indictment on charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights, obstruction of official duties by deception, and violation of the Local Finance Act. The ruling followed the opinions submitted by the jurors.
The court again said Lee was guilty only of perjury over the salmon drinking party allegation.
The court stated, "Respecting the jurors' opinions, the testimony of those involved in the video recording room in Room 1313 is consistent, while the defendant's testimony appears unreliable, so we find this part guilty." Four of the seven jurors found that no alcohol had been provided, while the remaining three disagreed.

On the Political Funds Act charge, the court followed the jurors' view that the defendant had not been involved. The court said, "It has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant went beyond asking former Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Sung-tae for political donations and took part in split donations."
On the charge of abuse of authority related to Gyeonggi Province's North Korea projects, all jurors found him not guilty, but the court dismissed the indictment on its own authority.
Lee faces charges including violating the Political Funds Act for allegedly conspiring with former Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Sung-tae during the 2018 local elections and the 2021 presidential primary of the Democratic Party of Korea to make split donations to President Lee Jae-myung in excess of the legal limit. He is also accused of abusing his authority and violating the Local Finance Act by ordering Gyeonggi Province officials to do work they were not obligated to do in order to support rice and flour aid to North Korea, and by obstructing the proper performance of their duties.
He is also accused of giving false testimony at a hearing in October 2024 before the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly on the impeachment of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, claiming that there had been a drinking party.
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter