A man in his 60s who set fire to the building of the company where he worked to obtain insurance money was sentenced to prison on appeal.
According to legal sources on the 8th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Changwon Panel of the Busan High Court recently upheld the lower court's sentence of two years and six months in prison for A, a man in his 60s who was put on trial on charges including arson of a general building.
A is accused of setting fire to a company building in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2024. A serves as an inside director at the company.
Before the crime, A signed insurance contracts with two insurers and allegedly tried to collect insurance money after the arson. However, the insurers withheld payment, citing the possibility of arson.
After being brought to trial, A has maintained that the arson and insurance fraud charges are not true.
However, the first trial court recognized A's crime, considering that traces of thinner and organic solvents were detected inside the building and that signs of an intentional fire were visible in the boiler room, among other factors. Video footage of A entering and leaving the company building before and after the fire was also secured.
In fact, A was in arrears on a loan and, before the crime, had looked into personal rehabilitation, and the financial situation was found to be difficult.
The first trial court sentenced A to two years and six months in prison based on these facts. The appellate court, held after appeals by both the prosecution and A, also upheld the lower court's ruling.