Court mitigates prison term for former President Roh's brother

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- An appellate court on Wednesday sentenced the elder brother of late former President Roh Moo-hyun to two and half years in prison and to pay a 300 million won (US$250,000) restitution for graft and influence peddling.

A lower court had sentenced Roh Gun-pyeong to a four-year jail term and to
forfeit 570 million won.
The elder Roh was indicted on charges of receiving billions of won in return for
wielding influence in helping a state-run company take over an ailing brokerage
firm in 2006.
Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide at his home in May this year in the midst of a
separate bribery investigation into his family and close aides. He served as
president from 2003-2008.
"This a classic bribery scandal related to power in which the then president's
elder brother exercised his influence on government officials and received a huge
sum of money in return from the company," the Seoul High Court said in the
ruling. "In this case, Roh Gun-pyeong is the key figure and should take heavy
responsibility for it."
The court, however, reduced the jail sentence, acknowledging that he was given a
heavier sentence because he was the former president's brother.
In a separate case, the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday sentenced Rep.
Lee Kwang-jae, a top confidant to the former president, to an eight-month prison
term suspended for two years.
Lee, an opposition lawmaker, was accused of receiving 180 million won in illegal
political funding from local businessman Park Yeon-cha, who was at the center of
the bribery scandal tied to Roh's family and confidants.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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