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Ilkwang Group Chairman Lee Kyu-tae, who used to be a arms dealer, was handed over to trial on charges of stealing the budget of the school corporation. After the SBS End Panda team first reported the allegations in 2019, the opposition from Chairman Lee has continued.



Reporter Won Jong-jin reports.



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A person who gave orders in prison related to the budget for an elementary school in Seoul in 2018.



[Lee Gyu-tae/Ilkwang Group Chairman: There are cars, advertisements, and things like that. Even for these things, from the standpoint of the school, publicity expenses or things like this cannot be included in the budget. Raise it appropriately to fit the school budget.]



This is Ilkwang Group Chairman Lee Kyu-tae, who was imprisoned for bribes and tax evasion.



After his release, Chairman Lee appeared at an elementary school on a day when there was no class and was also caught carrying documents from the office on a cart and taking them outside.



It was three days before the Seoul Office of Education audit for this school's 'Smart School' project using tablet PCs and robots.



[Uchon Elementary School officials (last year 2019): Because we gave thanks, the Office of Education. I removed it after knowing that the official letter had arrived.] The



SBS Panda Team raised suspicions of slush funds, which led to a police investigation.



At that time, the whistleblowers were dismissed or disciplined, and Chairman Lee filed a lawsuit against the auditors of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.



[Lee Deuk-hyung/ Former full-time citizen inspector of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education: When I told him to return all the money suspected of embezzlement, he threatened me and sued (the inspectors of the education office) for intimidation. I've been doing this for 10 years as a citizen inspector, but this is the first time this has happened.] The



whistleblowers have been fired, and they're still litigating for reinstatement.



[Eun-seok Choi / Former Head of Uchon Elementary School: I thought that it was unfair to use (teaching expenses) for the purpose of the president's own business, and I did it because I thought it was not right. Then, in early September (2019), I was fired… ]



As a result of the prosecution's investigation, it was revealed that Chairman Lee caused damage to the school with the 'Smart School' business contract that inflated the cost.



After making a plan to extort school money, he made the bridesmaids bid at a low price and signed a contract with a pre-selected service company for about 2.4 billion won.



[Uchon Elementary School official: (If it is a smart school project) I thought it would cost 200 to 300 million won, but all of a sudden, too much budget was allocated. So, we also objected a lot.]



The prosecution also revealed that Chairman Lee embezzled 88 million won seven times in a way that he and the director of an early childhood school received scientific materials and returned them in cash.



It was stated in the indictment that this school money robbery was planned to cover a fine of 1.4 billion won, which was sentenced for bribery and tax evasion, and a lawyer's fee of 2.3 billion won.



In the course of the investigation, the prosecution also revealed that the chairman's second daughter-in-law, who worked as a teacher at an early childhood school, stole 120 million won by pretending to have received specialized textbooks after school and used it for personal purposes such as living expenses.



Prosecutors charged Lee with embezzlement, breach of trust, coercion, and obstruction of bidding, and also handed over 10 people, including school officials and bidding participants, to trial.



In response, Chairman Lee Gyu-tae said he still denied all the facts of the charges, and announced that he would file civil and criminal lawsuits against those involved after fighting in the trial.



(Video coverage: Ha Ryung, Video editing: Park Jin-hoon)