South Korea top court upholds jail term for MP over church bribes
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Kweon Seong-dong was sentenced to two years in prison by a lower court for accepting 100 million won (S$87,000) in illegal political funds in exchange for helping the Unification Church.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- South Korea's top court upheld a two-year jail term for MP Kweon Seong-dong for accepting 100 million won in bribes from the Unification Church, stripping him of his parliamentary seat.
- The court found key evidence admissible and confirmed Kweon's guilt, citing his betrayal of public trust and failure to uphold lawmaker responsibilities.
- The Unification Church scandal also involves ex-president Yoon's wife and the church leader, leading to ongoing trials and investigations into political collusion with religious groups.
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SEOUL – South Korea’s top court on July 16 upheld a prominent MP’s two-year jail term for taking bribes from the Unification Church, effectively stripping him of his parliamentary seat.
Kweon Seong-dong, a five-term lawmaker from the opposition People Power Party (PPP), was sentenced to two years in prison by a lower court for accepting 100 million won (S$87,000) in illegal political funds in exchange for helping the church, often condemned by critics as a cult.
He had appealed the ruling.
The Supreme Court upheld “the lower court’s guilty verdict, finding that the key evidence in the case... was admissible as evidence, and that the defendant had received illegal political funds”, the top court said in a statement provided to AFP.
The highest court “found no error in the appellate court’s judgment that affected the verdict”, it added.
The ruling stripped Kweon of his parliamentary seat.
The appellate court said in April that Kweon had “betrayed the expectations of the public, including his constituents, and failed to uphold the constitutional responsibilities of a lawmaker” by accepting the money.
“Accordingly, criminal punishment commensurate with his political position, authority and responsibilities is unavoidable,” it said at the time.
Kweon, a former prosecutor, served as floor leader of the then ruling PPP and was an ally of disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol.
The graft scandal has also implicated Yoon’s wife Kim Keon Hee, who was convicted of accepting two Chanel handbags and a Graff necklace from the church as bribes.
She was sentenced to four years in prison in April after being convicted on separate stock manipulation charges.
Church leader Han Hak-ja is also being held in detention while standing trial on bribery charges, with prosecutors seeking a 13-year prison term.
Founded in 1954 by Han’s late husband Moon Sun-myung, the Unification Church has long drawn controversy for its political ties and teachings that portray Moon as the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Following the scandals, prosecutors and the police also launched a joint investigation in January into suspected collusion between religious groups and politicians. AFP