Decision on Prosecution's Witness Application Deferred in Former Miryang Mayor Park Il-ho's Appeal Trial

Judge Park Gwang-seo of the Criminal Division 1 at the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court presided over the appeal hearing for former Miryang Mayor Park Il-ho, who was indicted on bribery charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes. During the hearing, the prosecution reapplied to call witness A, identified as the person who allegedly delivered bribes to former Mayor Park, and requested access to the bank accounts of Park and his family. The court accepted the request for Park's personal account transaction history and commute records, but deferred the decision on calling witness A, demanding the prosecution provide further explanation on the necessity of his testimony.

The appellate court, handling the appeal for former Mayor Park who was acquitted of bribery in the first trial, deferred its decision on the prosecution's renewed request for the key witness, citing the need for further explanation. The first trial court had acquitted Park, stating it was difficult to accept that a sitting mayor received bribes in a public place, citing inconsistencies in witness A's testimony regarding the timing of delivery and the source of funds. Park's defense argued that witness A's testimony had changed multiple times during the investigation and trial, thus he should not be accepted as a witness.

The appellate court decided to make a decision later on whether to accept witness A after requesting the relevant explanations from the prosecution. The next hearing is scheduled for the 27th of next month.