한화그룹 김승연 (61) 회장에 대한 징역형이 결국 감형되었다.
서울고법 형사7부(윤성원 부장판사)는 15일 업무상 횡령•배임 등 혐의로 기소된 김 회장에게 선고공판에서 징역 4년에 벌금 51억원을 선고한 원심을 깨고 징역 3년에 벌금 50억원을 선고했다.
재판부는 "피고인은 한화그룹의 실질적인 경영자로서 책임에 상응하는 실형 선고가 불가피하다"며 "다만 계열사 부당지원 피해액 3분의 1에 해당하는 1천186억원을 공탁한 점을 참작했다"고 말했다.
김 회장은 2004~2006년 위장계열사의 빚을 갚아주려고 3천200여억원대의 회사 자산을 부당지출하고 계열사 주식을 가족에게 헐값에 팔아 1천41억여원의 손실을 회사에 떠넘긴 혐의 등으로 2011년 1월 불구속 기소됐다.
검찰은 지난 1일 열린 항소심 결심공판에서 김 회장에게 징역 9년과 벌금 1천500억원을 구형했다.
<관련 영문 기사>
Court lowers jail term for Hanwha Group chairman
By Kim Young-won
The Seoul High Court on Monday lowered the jail term for Hanwha Group chairman Kim Seung-youn from four years to three years after confirming most of the charges of embezzlement and breach of trust.
The court cleared him of part of the charges for breach of trust in connection with a corporate takeover.
But the court additionally found him guilty of illegally supporting an affiliate, of which he was acquitted by the lower court.
Kim was imprisoned in 2012 after conviction of various violations including illegally making his firm pay for a 320-billion-won debt held by companies he was operating under borrowed names between 2004 and 2006, and then embezzling the funds.
The 61-year-old chairman was also accused of causing damages of 480 billion won to Hanwha Group subsidiaries and small shareholders by embezzling company funds through borrowed-named bank accounts.
He was released in January due to his poor health condition.
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