Former finance ministry official acquitted in Hyundai bribery case

SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- The Supreme Court nullified a five-year prison
sentence for a former finance ministry official on Thursday who allegedly took
bribes from Hyundai Motor Co. affiliates in exchange for writing off part of
their debts.
Byeon Yang-ho, a former head of the ministry's financial policy bureau, was
acquitted of criminal charges after the top court questioned the credibility of a
statement given by a key witness, Kim Dong-hoon, the head of an accounting firm
who claims he relayed bribes to Byeon on behalf of Hyundai units.
A local court in January 2007 cleared Byeon of all charges, noting that Kim's
statement was inconsistent and insufficient. But an appeals court ruling in
August 2008 accepted the testimony and found Byeon guilty. Kim was also sentenced
to three years and six months in jail.
"The question is whether the court can trust the statement by Kim as the
prosecution of Byeon was mostly based on Kim's personal remarks," the court said.
"Given that Kim may have ended up in a much more dire situation had his statement
not been accepted, there needs to be a more cautious evaluation of his
statement," the court said.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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