SEOUL– Rep. Lim Jong-seong of the main opposition Democratic Party was given a suspended prison term of four months for election law violations Tuesday, a sentence heavy enough to remove him from parliament if confirmed by the Supreme Court.
The Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court sentenced Lim to an imprisonment of four months, suspended for two years, after convicting him of instructing the provision of money and valuables to young party members who were participating in the party’s presidential campaign in March last year.
The two-term lawmaker elected from the Gyeonggi Province city of Gwangju was also charged with offering money and other valuables to election officials.
Under the current election law, a confirmed jail term or a fine of more than 1 million won (US$812) results in the nullification of parliamentary seats.
Lim, who has consistently denied his charges in court, said after the sentence that he believes the truth will be clearly revealed.
Source: Yonhap News Agency