The prosecution on Friday questioned former Daeju Group chairman Huh Jae-ho, who was publicly criticized for being allowed to pay off massive fines with 50 days of prison labor.
“I will persuade my family to pay the unpaid fines as soon as possible,” Huh, 72, told reporters before entering the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office.
On the same day, the Supreme Court established guidelines for the current labor penalty system amid mounting criticism of Huh, who had exploited legal loopholes to dodge fines.
Under the new guidelines, prisoners with fines between 100 million won and 500 million won are subjected to serve 300 days in working prison facilities, while those with 500 million won to 5 billion won in fines are required to stay at least 500 days. Labor prisoners with a fine of 5 billion won to 10 billion won are to serve 700 days in jail, and those with more than 10 billion won in fines are to face at least 900 days.
The move comes after prosecutors Wednesday withdrew the penalty that would have allowed Huh to pay off the 25.4 billion won fine with 50 days’ labor. Huh has to pay the remaining 22.4 billion won in fines after deducting six days of prison labor since he returned home from New Zealand, where he lived affluently as a fugitive and had a flourishing business, on Saturday.
The scandal created a media firestorm after it became known that the former tycoon’s labor was valued at about 500 million won per day, about 10,000 times higher than the usual pay of 50,000 won a day for other convicts.
Tax authorities began searching for the tycoon’s assets, alleged to have been gained through borrowed-name accounts and his business in New Zealand.
By Suk Gee-hyun ()
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
