Man in his 30s accused of embezzlement for missing deposit of 150,000 won, found not guilty

A man in his 30s who was put on trial on charges of omitting the purchase price during the sale of a used cell phone was found not guilty.

According to the legal community on the 11th, the Gwangju District Court found Mr. A, in his 30s, not guilty last February on charges of embezzlement.

In 2022, when Mr. A was working at a mobile phone dealership in Gwangju Metropolitan City, he sold a used mobile phone he received from a customer for 150,000 won, and was sued by his boss for failing to deposit the amount into the company's account.

Mr. A denied the charges, claiming that after selling the device, he forgot to re-deposit the money back into the company's account.

The prosecution concluded that Mr. A had intentional embezzlement and indicted him briefly with a fine of 300,000 won, but Mr. A requested a formal trial.

“During my time at the dealership, I had continuously handled the business of selling used devices. Nevertheless, there was only a problem with this one case,” he said, adding, “It was just a simple mistake in handling the business, and there was no intention to illegally acquire it.”

The court also found there was no intention of embezzlement and found him not guilty.

The court ruled, “Other than this case, we have not found any circumstances suspicious of embezzlement,” and “the possibility that it was a simple omission, as claimed by the defendant, cannot be ruled out.”

Attorney Kwak Ji-yeon of Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Mr. A, explained, "Mr. A had made several transactions with dealers while reselling used mobile phones. This was one of the tasks delegated to the complainant, but while disposing of the mobile phone, there was a mistake in the delivery of the sales price. After hearing about the omission from the complainant, he promised to return it, but the complainant immediately proceeded with the complaint."

He said, "Mr. A had no intent to embezzle, and there was no other evidence to prove it. Therefore, the indictment in this case was a case where there was no proof of a crime, so he was acquitted."
 

Reporter Jeong Eui-jin (jej88@ikbc.co.kr)

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30-year-old accused of embezzlement for missing deposit of 150,000 won, 'not guilty'