Supreme Court upholds 2-year prison term for Cho Kuk

[Anchor]

Former Representative Cho Kuk claimed that the prosecution's investigation was unjust and that the court's timing would be different.

However, the guilty verdicts from the first and second trials were ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court.

Reporter Choi In-young has examined the allegations against former Representative Cho and the three consecutive court rulings.

[Report]

In 2019, after four months of investigation, the prosecution indicted former Representative Cho Kuk.

Thirteen charges were applied, including admission fraud for his children and holding stocks under borrowed names.

Representative Cho strongly denied the allegations.

[Cho Kuk/Former Rebuilding Korea Party Leader/May 2020: "I will refute each of the charges that the prosecution has distorted and exaggerated based on facts and legal principles."]

However, three years and two months after the indictment, the first trial court found him guilty on eight out of the thirteen charges.

Cho was sentenced to two years in prison.

This ruling was not changed in the second trial or the Supreme Court.

First, the court mostly acknowledged the allegations of admission fraud, including the forgery of a certificate from Dongyang University and the issuance of false internship certificates.

It was determined that although his daughter, Jo Min, received a scholarship of 6 million won after being expelled from Busan National University’s medical school, it was not a bribe but a violation of the Anti-Corruption Act.

Additionally, Cho was found guilty of abusing his authority as Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs by halting an investigation into Yoo Jae-soo, former Deputy Mayor of Busan, due to political requests.

However, the allegations that he did not dispose of private equity funds upon taking office as Chief of Civil Affairs and did not report this, as well as the charge of having a third party hide computers at his home in preparation for the investigation, were ultimately maintained as not guilty.

The prosecution stated, "We plan to swiftly execute the sentence in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act and related regulations."

This is KBS News, Choi In-young.