A court of first instance acquitted former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Ki Dong-min and others who were indicted on charges of receiving money and valuables from Kim Bong-hyun, former chairman of Star Mobility and a key figure in the "Lime scandal."
On the 26th, Judge Jeong Seong-hwa of the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 11 Single-Judge Panel acquitted former lawmaker Ki, who was indicted without detention on charges including receiving brokerage fees under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violating the Political Funds Act.
The court also acquitted Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Su-jin, former Minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Kim Young-choon, and former prospective National Assembly candidate a person surnamed Kim, who were indicted together.
The court said, "It is difficult to find credibility because Kim Bong-hyun's statements and notebook, which the prosecution presented as key evidence, are inconsistent," adding, "There is also no material to conclude that the defendants received illegal campaign funds from Kim Bong-hyun and used them as political funds."
It added, "It is hard to rule out the possibility that Kim Bong-hyun, while showing off his political connections, spoke as if he had made solicitations to the defendants."
After the verdict, former lawmaker Ki told reporters as he left the courtroom, "In eight years of parliamentary work since 2016, I never met or contacted Kim Bong-hyun even once," and said, "Even so, the prosecution relentlessly attacked with the frame that the Democratic Party of Korea and Ki Dong-min were behind the Lime scandal."
He continued, "A lawless prosecution that, without considering the parties at all, witch-hunted and tightened the noose on politicians to strengthen the prosecution's standing for political purposes will have no choice but to disappear into history," adding, "I thank the court for making a truthful judgment."
Lee also said, "What turns what is not fact into fact is a fabrication-minded prosecution. I think I became more of a target of the political prosecution because I am a politician," adding, "Today, the court delivered a clear hammer blow to the political prosecution's fabricated indictment."
The Lime fund scandal was an incident in which Lime Asset Management, a private equity fund manager that once managed around 5.9 trillion won, declared a halt to redemptions for 177 funds in Oct. 2019, leaving more than 4,000 investors with damages totaling around 1.6 trillion won. Former chairman Kim was known as Lime Asset Management's moneyed backer (錢主) and the main culprit.
Previously, former lawmaker Ki was indicted without detention in Feb. 2023 on charges that, as a candidate in the 20th general election, he received in Feb.–Apr. 2016 political funds of 100 million won and a suit worth about 2 million won from former chairman Kim in the name of brokering permits related to the Yangjae-dong cargo terminal site and campaign funds.
Lee is also accused of receiving 5 million won in Feb. 2016, former Minister Kim in Mar. of the same year 5 million won, and former prospective candidate Kim 50 million won in Feb. of that year.