Medytox CEO Jeong Hyun-ho, who was indicted for violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, was acquitted by the court.
The Cheongju District Court's Criminal Division 1 ruled on the morning of the 11th that Jeong was found not guilty of charges including violations of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and obstruction of official duties.
Earlier, allegations were raised that Medytox, from the end of 2012 to mid-2015, produced Meditoxin using unapproved raw material while manipulating potency test results to obtain national shipment approval 83 times.
Jeong was indicted in 2020 on charges including the use of unapproved raw materials, manipulation of pharmaceutical potency test data, and alteration of national shipment approval documents in the production and shipment process of Medytox's botulinum toxin products.
Subsequently, the prosecution requested a six-year prison sentence for Jeong on the 14th of last month. The prosecution noted that it was a case where substantial time was spent undermining the national verification system for corporate gain, stating that there was no willingness to improve as responsibility was shifted to employees and responsibilities were denied.
However, the court did not accept the prosecution's claims.
The court judged that Jeong was not involved in the preparation of false documents or the examination results investigation process. Additionally, it concluded that there were no criminal charges related to violations of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act due to the lack of relevant regulations on indirect exports.
However, regarding factory manager Park, the court imposed a three-year prison sentence, finding that there were repeated actions. The court did not accept Park's claim that the test results were erroneous due to environmental factors.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety imposed administrative measures on Medytox, including cessation of manufacturing, sales, and use, as well as cancellation of product approval; however, the court accepted the company's request for suspension of the enforcement of the measures, preventing the administrative actions from being carried out.