Time to uproot evil practice in legal circles
Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Hong Man-pyo, a prosecutor-turned-lawyer, Monday, over suspicions that he illegally peddled his influence for his clients, including Jung Woon-ho, CEO of the cosmetics company Nature Republic.
Hong allegedly received 300 million won from Jung last August, when the prosecution was investigating the CEO's alleged gambling, and promised to lobby senior prosecutors. He is also suspected of receiving 200 million won in 2011 to lobby Seoul Metro officials to expand spaces for Nature Republic stores in subway stations. Hong is also accused of evading 1 billion won in taxes by underreporting his legal service fees.
Hong can face up to five years in prison or up to 30 million won in fines for receiving money if his influence-peddling charges are upheld. During questioning at the prosecution Friday, he acknowledged the tax evasion charges, but denied all others.
Hong was a star prosecutor until he quit the prosecution in 2011. He handled many high-profile cases, including an investigation into the late President Roh Moo-hyun. It is sad to see such a prominent former prosecutor face an arrest over illegal lobbying.
Over four years since he became a lawyer in 2011, he has earned nearly 10 billion won in legal fees, 9.1 billion won of which was earned in 2013 alone. Before becoming a lawyer, he owned only an apartment worth 1.3 billion won, but now he is the owner of as many as 100 studio apartments.
Hong's influence-peddling can be inferred from the fact that gambling charges against Jung were dropped twice in 2013 and 2015 before he was indicted in October. The prosecution also made the unusual decision to demand a sentence of two and a half years in prison at an appeals hearing, down from three years a lower court had imposed.
All this raises the possibility that the lawyer might have lobbied his former colleagues to help his rich client get an acquittal or receive a lighter sentence, depending on ''jeongwanyeu,'' a deep-seated evil practice in the legal community here. So the point is to find out if Hong exercised his influence on his former colleagues and who in the prosecution were asked to give favors. It's also necessary to clarify if money was given to them in this process.
Most problematic with the practice is that it is a crime plotted by retired and incumbent prosecutors together. It's hard to believe that incumbent prosecutors would comply with a request for favors merely out of respect for their former seniors, but the truth is that they also expect special treatment after retirement by keeping the practice intact.
This means that it's possible for a rich offender to buy a high-profile lawyer who served as a senior prosecutor or a senior judge to avoid punishment or get a lighter sentence. This shows that the rule of law, one of the basic principles in our society, can be disabled.
That is why the prosecution should do its utmost to get to the bottom of the lobbying scandal. If not, the prosecution might have to suffer the humiliation of again seeing an independent counsel investigate the case.
Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Hong Man-pyo, a prosecutor-turned-lawyer, Monday, over suspicions that he illegally peddled his influence for his clients, including Jung Woon-ho, CEO of the cosmetics company Nature Republic.
Hong allegedly received 300 million won from Jung last August, when the prosecution was investigating the CEO's alleged gambling, and promised to lobby senior prosecutors. He is also suspected of receiving 200 million won in 2011 to lobby Seoul Metro officials to expand spaces for Nature Republic stores in subway stations. Hong is also accused of evading 1 billion won in taxes by underreporting his legal service fees.
Hong can face up to five years in prison or up to 30 million won in fines for receiving money if his influence-peddling charges are upheld. During questioning at the prosecution Friday, he acknowledged the tax evasion charges, but denied all others.
Hong was a star prosecutor until he quit the prosecution in 2011. He handled many high-profile cases, including an investigation into the late President Roh Moo-hyun. It is sad to see such a prominent former prosecutor face an arrest over illegal lobbying.
Over four years since he became a lawyer in 2011, he has earned nearly 10 billion won in legal fees, 9.1 billion won of which was earned in 2013 alone. Before becoming a lawyer, he owned only an apartment worth 1.3 billion won, but now he is the owner of as many as 100 studio apartments.
Hong's influence-peddling can be inferred from the fact that gambling charges against Jung were dropped twice in 2013 and 2015 before he was indicted in October. The prosecution also made the unusual decision to demand a sentence of two and a half years in prison at an appeals hearing, down from three years a lower court had imposed.
All this raises the possibility that the lawyer might have lobbied his former colleagues to help his rich client get an acquittal or receive a lighter sentence, depending on ''jeongwanyeu,'' a deep-seated evil practice in the legal community here. So the point is to find out if Hong exercised his influence on his former colleagues and who in the prosecution were asked to give favors. It's also necessary to clarify if money was given to them in this process.
Most problematic with the practice is that it is a crime plotted by retired and incumbent prosecutors together. It's hard to believe that incumbent prosecutors would comply with a request for favors merely out of respect for their former seniors, but the truth is that they also expect special treatment after retirement by keeping the practice intact.
This means that it's possible for a rich offender to buy a high-profile lawyer who served as a senior prosecutor or a senior judge to avoid punishment or get a lighter sentence. This shows that the rule of law, one of the basic principles in our society, can be disabled.
That is why the prosecution should do its utmost to get to the bottom of the lobbying scandal. If not, the prosecution might have to suffer the humiliation of again seeing an independent counsel investigate the case.
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