Former South Korean Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan could face eight years in prison on charges of bribery.
Representatives of the Central Prosecutor’s office of Seoul asked the court to sentence Choi to eight years in prison, as well as to appoint a fine of 200 million won (185 thousand 870 dollars). The ex-Minister is accused of illegally obtaining 100 million won from the Treasury of The national intelligence service in 2014, when he held the post of Minister of Finance, reports the Korea Herald.
The prosecution also recommended that the court demand that Choi, currently holding the post of Deputy from the main opposition party “freedom of Korea”, paid a fine of 100 million won.
Prosecutors believe that Choi, a close ally of ex-President Park Geun-Hye, was bribed by the National intelligence service to preserve his extrajudicial funds. Then the opposition parties sought to reduce their accounts so that their cash flows could not be tracked.
Recall that in 2016, the former President of South Korea Park Geun-Hye, who is currently in prison for money laundering and corruption, was impeached by the people of the country, which strongly opposed the former President. April 6, 2018, Seoul Central district court sentenced Park Geun-Hye to 24 years in prison and a fine of $ 16.8 million (charges: corruption and abuse of power while President)
Ex-Minister Choi himself said: “I Swear by my 40 years of public life that I have never received 100 million won.”
Choi’s lawyers said the charge was only aimed at ” political retaliation.” According to them, Choi was always clean when it came to bribery and he didn’t accept any illegal cash.
The court hearing in the case of Choi will take place on 29 June.
