Ruling party lawmaker gets 5 year in prison for bribery

Cho Hyun-ryong

A lawmaker from the ruling Saenuri Party was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for taking bribes from railway parts company in exchange for giving a business favor.

Rep. Cho Hyun-ryong was indicted for taking 160 million won ($146,000) from the president of Sampyo E&C between December 2011 and July 2014. Cho helped Sampyo’s products pass a qualification test and win a contract with the state railway authority. Cho headed the authority until December 2011.

He was also fined 200 million won. The 70-year-old lawmaker may lose his parliamentary seat if a higher court confirms the verdict.

The Seoul Central District Court found Cho guilty, citing testimonies from Sampyo officials.

Judge Lee Beom-gyun said, “Sampyo officials provided intricate details about how they bribed Cho. They risked getting themselves in trouble and there is no reason they would try to wrongfully convict the lawmaker.”

Prosecutors had initially demanded nine year in prison for Cho.