Court grants bail for ex-lawmaker, political broker in election nomination scandal
This composite photo shows Kim Young-sun, left, a former five-term lawmaker of the People Power Party, and Myung Tae-gyun, a political broker, at a court hearing in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Nov. 14, 2024. Yonhap
A local court on Wednesday granted bail to a former five-term lawmaker of the People Power Party and a self-proclaimed power broker at the center of an election nomination scandal.
The Changwon District Court approved bail for former lawmaker Kim Young-sun and alleged broker Myung Tae-kyun, nearly five months after arrests on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.
Prosecutors allege that Kim offered Myung 80.7 million won ($54,432) between August 2022 and November 2023 through the former lawmaker's campaign finance officer in connection with Kim's candidate nomination during the 2022 parliamentary by-elections.
Myung is suspected of leveraging his connections with influential figures, including former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee, to solicit bribes by promising nominations.
Myung had filed for bail in December, but his request was dismissed at the time. (Yonhap)