Pro golfer Ahn Seong-hyeon, who was sentenced to prison and detained in court for receiving tens of billions of won in bribes under the pretext of soliciting the listing of virtual currency, will be released on bail.

On the 11th, the 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Director General Baek Kang-jin) granted Ahn Seong-hyeon's bail request, who was indicted on charges of fraud and breach of trust under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

The court specified the bail conditions as ▲ a deposit of 50 million won ▲ residency restrictions ▲ prohibition of departure and overseas travel without court permission ▲ restrictions on contact with other defendants and witnesses.

Previously, Ahn Seong-hyeon, husband of Seong Yu-ri, is accused of receiving a total of 3 billion won in cash and two luxury watches worth about 400 million won, along with a request from businessman B to list A Coin on the virtual asset exchange Bithumb between September and November 2021, as well as a membership card for a high-end restaurant worth 11.5 million won.

He also faces charges of deceiving B to receive an additional amount of 2 billion won by saying, "C (former representative of Bithumb Holdings) is asking for the listing request payment quickly." According to the investigation, C also received items worth about 44 million won, including a luxury bag and high-end clothing, from B.

They were indicted in September 2023 without detention, and were all sentenced to prison in the first trial in December of last year. The court sentenced Ahn Seong-hyeon to 4 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of about 50 million won, C to 2 years in prison and a fine of 50.025 million won, and B to 1 year and 6 months in prison. Another defendant, D, who was jointly indicted, is currently indicted without detention on charges of breach of trust.

The first trial court stated, "This act undermines the transparency and fairness of the virtual asset market, which could cause significant harm to innocent investors," and noted, "Especially, Ahn Seong-hyeon received expensive bribes despite the fact that the listing result had not been realized and illegally took the request payment separately, indicating the poor nature of the crime."

Meanwhile, Ahn Seong-hyeon debuted as a tour pro on the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) in 2005 and also served as a coach for the national training team from 2014 to 2018. He married actress Seong Yu-ri, a former member of Fin.K.L, in 2017, and they have twin daughters.

He was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison in December of last year and has been serving his sentence, and due to the controversy, Seong Yu-ri stopped her broadcasting activities after the KBS2 entertainment program "Can Breakups Be Recalled?" ended in April 2023.

Seong Yu-ri expressed her grievances through her social media, praying that "the truth about the difficult times is revealed," and returned to home shopping after her husband’s arrest.

[Photo] OSEN DB

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