Court Denies Release for Lawmaker and Unification Church Leader in Political Funds Case
A Seoul court has rejected requests for release from Kwon sung-dong, a member of the People Power Party, and Han, the president of the Unification Church of Korean scholars, both arrested in connection with allegations of illegal political funding.The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Appeals 8-3 panel dismissed their claims on September 1st, stating, “According to the suspect interrogation results and the case record, the reason for the case is considered no reason.”
Both Kwon and Han had argued against their continued detention. Kwon reportedly questioned the credibility of the Unification Church as a core element of the investigation and challenged the relevance of the search warrant used to gather evidence. han cited health concerns as a reason for release. However, the court sided with the special prosecutor’s team, citing the risk of evidence destruction as justification for continued detention.
Kwon was initially arrested on August 16th on charges of receiving 100 million won (approximately $75,000 USD) in political funds in January 2022, allegedly in exchange for government support for the Unification Church – a violation of the Political Fund Act.
Further arrests followed on August 23rd, with Kwon facing additional accusations of involvement in providing expensive gifts, including necklaces and Chanel bags, to Mrs.Kim between April and July 2022, allegedly using funds from the Unification Church (embezzlement).He is also accused of instructing Han to destroy evidence in October 2022, anticipating police investigations into his suspected illegal gambling activities.
The special prosecutor’s team is now focusing on investigating allegations that Kwon shared police investigation information related to Han’s gambling and that he received a shopping bag containing money during visits to a governor in February and March 2022. They are also investigating claims that Han and Yoon collaborated to support Kwon’s bid for party leadership ahead of the People Power Party convention in March 2023.
Kwon’s current arrest period is set to expire during the Chuseok holiday. The special prosecutor’s team is expected to formally indict him two days before the holiday begins.
[Yonhap news]
