SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's special counsel on Friday filed an appeal against a first-instance court ruling on former first lady Kim Keon-hee that acquitted her of charges related to alleged stock price manipulation and other charges.
The special counsel issued a statement explaining its decision to appeal a first-instance court ruling that acquitted Kim of multiple charges, including alleged stock price manipulation, arguing that the court made serious errors in fact-finding and legal interpretation in acquitting her on several charges, and that the sentence imposed for the convictions was "unduly lenient."
According to the special counsel, the court failed to properly recognize Kim's alleged role as a joint offender. The special counsel also challenged the court's acquittal on alleged violations of the Political Funds Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
Kim Keon-hee was sentenced to 20 months in prison for corruption charges, live footage showed Wednesday. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the prison sentence with a forfeiture of 12.81 million won (about 9,010 U.S. dollars), saying Kim exploited her position as the first lady for private profit.
The team of special counsel Min Joong-ki, who led the investigation into corruption allegations involving Yoon and his wife, demanded a 15-year jail term with 2 billion won (1.4 million dollars) in fine and about 948 million won (667,130 dollars) in forfeitures for Kim. ■
