Church Chief in South Korea Receives Suspended Jail Time period After Virus Fallout

Church Leader in South Korea Receives Suspended Prison Term After Virus Fallout

SEOUL, South Korea — The chief of a secretive non secular sect that was on the middle of a coronavirus outbreak in South Korea final 12 months obtained a three-year jail time period on Wednesday on expenses of embezzling church cash.

However Lee Man-hee, 89, the founding father of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was acquitted on a cost of conspiring to impede the well being authorities’ efforts to struggle the virus. Mr. Lee’s jail time period was suspended for 4 years, which implies that he’ll stay free until he commits a criminal offense inside that point.

The fast unfold of the virus among the many church’s worshipers in Daegu, a metropolis within the southeast, in February and early March final 12 months had briefly made South Korea residence to the world’s largest coronavirus outbreak outdoors China. A complete of 5,213 instances have been discovered amongst church members and their contacts, in accordance with authorities information.

Prosecutors arrested Mr. Lee in August on expenses that he and different church officers had obstructed the federal government’s efforts to struggle the epidemic by not absolutely disclosing the variety of worshipers and their gathering locations. Mr. Lee was additionally accused of embezzling 5.6 billion received, or $5.1 million, from church funds to construct an expensive “peace palace” north of Seoul, the capital.

He was additionally accused of utilizing public amenities for non secular actions with out permission from the native authorities.

Mr. Lee was launched on bail final November. On Wednesday, a decide within the district courtroom of Suwon, south of Seoul, dominated {that a} failure to offer a full listing of worshipers and church amenities didn’t quantity to impeding the federal government’s disease-control efforts.

Mr. Lee’s church welcomed the acquittal, however stated he would enchantment to a better courtroom to attempt to reverse his conviction on embezzlement and different expenses.

Throughout the trial, Mr. Lee had denied all expenses towards him. In an earlier assertion, his church stated Mr. Lee by no means meant to hamper the federal government’s efforts to regulate the epidemic, and had urged church members to cooperate with the well being authorities.

However prosecutors demanded that the courtroom sentence him to 5 years in jail.

Mr. Lee’s church has confronted intense criticism from the general public, and he apologized to South Koreans in March. Dad and mom who accused the church of luring and brainwashing their youngsters with its unorthodox teachings have known as Mr. Lee a “non secular con artist.” The church has dismissed the accusations as groundless.

On the peak of the outbreak spreading from the church, South Korea reported as many as 900 new instances a day. However that outbreak has been eclipsed by a brand new wave of infections that started spreading primarily via the populous Seoul metropolitan space in November. The nation, which has a inhabitants of about 50 million folks, reported a report 1,240 new instances on Christmas Day.

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