金ナムグク元議員、最終公判で泣きながら無罪を主張

検察は、10人近くを隠蔽した疑いで起訴された元民主党議員キム・ナムグク氏に懲役6か月を求刑した。

Former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Nam-guk, who was indicted for hiding nearly 10 billion won ($7.8 million) in virtual currency (coins) and falsely reporting his assets to the National Assembly, faced prosecutors' demand for a six-month prison term at his final hearing on Friday.

100億ウォン（約7億8000万円）近い仮想通貨（コイン）を隠し、国会に資産を虚偽報告した罪で起訴された元民主党議員キム・ナムグク氏に対し、検察は懲役6か月を求刑した。金曜日の最終公聴会で任期を終える。

Kim was accused of transferring some of the coin deposits to a bank account to match the total amount of his assets and changing the rest of the deposits into coins to hinder the review of the changes in the assets of the National Assembly's public officials ethics committee.

金氏は、国会公務員倫理委員会の資産変動審査を妨害するため、硬貨預金の一部を全財産に合わせて銀行口座に移し、残りの預金を硬貨に替えた疑いが持たれている。

The committee would have examined the process of property formation if the property of the National Assembly increased rapidly and would have made a written request, the prosecution said during the hearing at the Seoul Southern District Court.

ソウル南部地方裁判所での審理で検察は、国会財産が急速に増加した場合、委員会は財産形成過程を調査し、書面による要請を行っていただろうと述べた。

"In the process, the defendant would have known that he had a large amount of coin deposits," a prosecutor said.

検察官は「その過程で、被告は多額の硬貨を預けていることを知っていただろう」と述べた。

The former lawmaker cried at the final hearing and pleaded not guilty.

元議員は最終公判で泣きながら無罪を主張した。

"I was elected as a member of the National Assembly, and I didn't receive anything that was rice cake, bungeoppang and gave me in good faith," Kim said, crying.

金氏は「国会議員に当選したのに、餅もパンパンも何も受け取らず、誠意を持って与えてくれた」と涙を流した。

"I knew it was difficult to live pure and clean in politics, but I didn't want to live (illegally) if I didn't do politics."

「政治の世界で清く生きるのが難しいことは分かっていたが、政治をしないなら（不法に）生きたくなかった」。

Kim is accused of hiding the fact that he made huge profits from coin investments during the National Assembly's property declaration twice in 2021 and 2022.

金氏は2021年と2022年の2回、国会の財産申告の際、コイン投資で巨額の利益を得た事実を隠蔽した疑いが持たれている。

Prosecutors believe that Kim hid his holdings of about 9.9 billion won in coin deposits during the 2021 property reporting process, reported his total assets to about 1.2 billion won and concealed about 990 million won in the same way in 2022.

検察は、金氏が2021年の財産申告手続き中に硬貨預金約99億ウォンを隠し、2022年にも同様に総資産約12億ウォンを申告し、約9億9千万ウォンを隠したとみている。

Sentencing will be held at 2 p.m. on February 10 next year.

判決は来年２月１０日午後２時に言い渡される。