Lee Jong-ho, the former head of Black Pearl Investment (63), who was indicted on charges of offering to secure a suspended sentence by asking former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife in exchange for money, argued at the first trial on the 23rd that he "never received money."
At 11 a.m. that day, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Agreement Division 23 (chief judge Oh Se-yong) held the first hearing on Lee's charge of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act.
Lee, who is currently in custody, entered the courtroom that day in a suit without a tie. Lee is the account manager and closest aide to Kim, and is a figure implicated in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation allegations.
The special counsel team on Kim Keon-hee indicted Lee last month on the 22nd on charges of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act. Prosecutors allege that during the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case, Lee told the principal offender, Lee Jeong-pil, "If you give me money, I will talk to the president and his wife and get you a suspended sentence," and took 81 million won over 25 occasions from June 2022 to Feb. 2023.
Lee's side flatly denied the charge in court, saying, "I did not receive any money from Lee Jeong-pil."
The court said it would hold the next hearing at 2 p.m. on the 24th of next month to narrow the issues and proceed with witness examination and other hearings starting Nov. 25.