South Korea’s essential opposition chief Lee Jae-myung was indicted on Tuesday on expenses alleging he used greater than 100 million received ($71,900) of public funds for private functions when he was a governor, Yonhap Information Company reported.
Lee, chair of the Democratic Social gathering, is already dealing with 4 different trials together with for bribery and different expenses largely tied to a $1 billion property growth scandal. His authorized battles have forged a cloud over his political destiny and will jeopardise his anticipated bid to contest the subsequent presidential race.
Prosecutors indicted Lee on breach of belief expenses, accusing him of misusing some 106 million received in taxpayers’ cash throughout his 2018-21 stint as governor of Gyeonggi Province, simply south of Seoul, in keeping with Yonhap.
The fees additionally embody accusations that he allowed his spouse Kim Hye-kyung to make use of a authorities car for personal causes whereas labelling it as official utilization, Yonhap mentioned, citing the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Workplace, which filed the fees.
Funds have been additionally spent to pay for dear meals, groceries or laundry for Lee’s household, however documented as bills for conferences with public staff or additional time pay, Yonhap mentioned.
Lee, who narrowly misplaced to President Yoon Suk Yeol within the 2022 election and is extensively anticipated to hunt to run once more in 2027, has not publicly commented on the newest indictment, however has beforehand denied any wrongdoing and described different expenses in opposition to the couple as “political retaliation.”
The Democratic Social gathering on Tuesday condemned the indictment as “farfetched” and a “scheme to kill the president’s political foe.”
Calls to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Workplace weren’t answered. Breach of belief is punishable by 10 years in jail or a effective of as much as 30 million received.
Any closing jail sentence or a effective of 1 million received or extra would strip him of his seat in parliament and his proper to run in any elections for the subsequent 5 years. The ruling Folks Energy Social gathering mentioned the case as soon as once more raised the query whether or not Lee was certified to carry public workplace.
In a associated case, a district courtroom final week fined Kim Hye-kyung 1.5 million received for violating election legislation by providing a meal to a number of politicians’ spouses utilizing Gyeonggi provincial funds after Lee launched his presidential bid in 2021.
On Friday, Lee was convicted for violating election legislation and sentenced to a one-year jail time period suspended for 2 years. Lee mentioned that he would attraction.
