Bribery Charges

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The prosecution has charged former President Lee Myung-bak’s with the advanced acceptance of a bribe. The ex-president is accused of accepting bribes amounting to about 2.8 billion won just before he was elected president. Here's a detailed look at the charge and determining factors of guilt.

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Former Damyang County Mayor Lee Jeong-seop and Hwasun County Mayor Hong I-sik both received money before they were elected into office. But their verdicts were different. Lee was ruled innocent, because he received the money before he was registered as mayoral candidate. But Hong was found guilty, for he got the money five days before he was elected. The timing of accepting a bribe was what determined the verdicts for these two men. It is also a deciding factor for the charge of accepting a bribe in advance. In the case of ex-President Lee Myung-bak, the prosecution concluded that the money he received when he was a presidential candidate constituted illegal funds. So the prosecution slapped him with the charge of advance acceptance of a bribe. At the time, Lee was highly likely to win the presidential election with an overwhelming support rate. If the advance acceptance of bribery charge is to stick, there must be a specific request for a favor in addition to the timing of the bribe's acceptance. Lee has denied that he knew anything about it. He did not acknowledge that there even was a solicitation, claiming that even if he had received money, it would have been for political activities. It is impossible to penalize him for violating the political funds act because the statute of limitation has already run out. Bribery amounts of over 100 million won could lead to a prison sentence of more than 10 years, compelling both the prosecution and Lee's representatives to not budge from their positions. Meanwhile, prosecutors have requested the court to issue a collection preservation order on Lee's assets, which are worth over 11 billion won and which amounts to the sum of bribery money he had allegedly received.