I only lent the name... The decision to make a 30-year-old accused of being an accomplice in 'selling fake oil'

A woman who was sent to prosecutors on charges of aiding and abetting the sale of fake oil was acquitted.

According to the legal community on the 25th, the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict Mr. A, in his 30s, on charges of aiding and abetting violation of the Petroleum and Petroleum Alternative Fuel Business Act on the 17th.

In 2021, Mr. A received a request from his former lover, Mr. B, to lend him the business name needed to operate a gas station. At that time, Mr. B persuaded him by emphasizing that he was a credit delinquent, and Mr. A reportedly complied.

However, Mr. B later operated a gas station in Mr. A's name and was caught selling fake oil worth 230 million won for about two weeks starting in March of the following year. The police determined that Mr. A assisted Mr. B in selling fake oil in exchange for a certain amount of compensation, and handed the case over to the prosecution.

Mr. A completely denied the charges. It is true that he lent his name, but he was not aware of the sale of fake oil at all. Mr. A claimed, "I first met him while working as a part-time worker at Mr. B's business, and since we were thinking of getting married, I thought about renting the name lightly. On the contrary, I did not even receive the promised profits from the business, so I asked Mr. B to close the business several times."

The prosecution found that Mr. A was not guilty. The prosecution explained, “It is confirmed that the suspect lent his name in exchange for financial compensation,” and added, “Also, there is an inadvertent perception that the gas station business will be used for illegal purposes such as tax evasion. However, considering the various circumstances, it is difficult to say that the suspect recognized the sale of fake oil and participated in this crime.”

Attorney Kim Dong-gu of Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Mr. A, said, “An act of aiding and abetting must facilitate the execution of the crime while knowing that the principal criminal is committing the crime.” He added, “Mr. A was able to be cleared of charges by carefully explaining through objective data such as communication records and bank account deposit and withdrawal details that he was not aware of the fact that he was selling fake oil.”

[View full article]
I only lent the name... The judgment of the 30-year-old accused of being an accomplice in 'selling fake oil'