Former BIGBANG member Seungri attended second hearing at the Ground Operations Command's general military court in Yongin. Except for one, he denied all other charges including prostitution and distribution of sexual content. He repeatedly said that he was not involved in illegal filming. Reports claim that the prosecution has acquired new witnesses in the case, who will go on stand from November.
Currently, he is facing eight charges including purchase of prostitution services, prostitution mediation, embezzlement, violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes, violation of the Food Sanitation Act, habitual gambling, violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes.
There are 22 witnesses in the case and among them Jung Joon Young and former Yuri Holdings CEO Yoo In Suk will also be called to testify. From November 12, there will be a weekly trial and the witnesses will be questioned.
Denial of Charges During First Hearing
Seungri's first hearing was held on Sept. 16, 2020 where he had denied all charges except one charge of violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. He stood his ground and repeated the same during the second hearing too, that lasted an hour. When he repeatedly denied charges of illegal filming, he was asked about the source of a particular photograph. Seungri said that he received it through WeChat from an employee working at an entertainment bar in Singapore. But he agreed to the fact that he later shared the photo on a private chat room where Jung Joon Young and Kim In Cheol were also members.
He not only denied the evidence and said that it had come to him from an unknown source but also his involvement in hosting of the Philippine party involving inviting girls for sexual favors. With Seungri disagreeing with almost all charges, the judge explained that if the he doesn't agree to accept the evidence, a cross-examination cannot be undertaken using said evidence.
Earlier,main suspect Yoo In Suk has pleaded guilty to all charges against him including prostitution mediation. But Seungri has maintained that he could not remember anything about his involvement in getting girls for party and clients. Seungri acknowledged that he had gambled but said that he was not a habitual gambler.
The court has fixed dates to question the 22 witnesses. The court will start dealing with charges of purchasing prostitution services and prostitution mediation in the next hearing. Questioning of witnesses is expected to end on December 17.
