The secretive Shincheonji Church of Jesus was at the centre of public anger early in 2015 over a surge in cases traced to its fans.
The elderly leader of a deceptive spiritual sect at the centre of an early coronavirus outbreak in South Korea has actually been found not guilty of preventing the federal government’s virus avoidance efforts.
But a district court ruled on Wednesday that Lee Man-hee was guilty of embezzling billions of won from his organisation and provided a suspended prison sentence.
The Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is typically condemned as a cult, was at the centre of big controversy early last year when it emerged that the church represented more than half of South Korea’s coronavirus cases.
At the time, the nation was withstanding among the worst early outbreaks of the illness outside China. It later on brought the infection under control with prevalent screening and contact tracing and strict quarantine measures.
Shincheonji’s leader Lee, 89, was collared in August and accused of giving health authorities unreliable records of church gatherings and false lists of its members.
Prosecutors last month requested a five-year jail term.
But the Suwon District Court cleared him of breaking the transmittable illness control law.
Lee apologised in March for the spread of the illness, twice getting to his knees to bow before reporters, his head to the floor.
” Although it was not intentional, many people have actually been contaminated,” he said at the time.
” I seek the forgiveness of individuals.”
The church has likewise apologised, while more than 3,500 of its members who survived the virus donated blood plasma to assist treatment research study.
Lee, who was apprehended in August, was convicted on a different charge of embezzling more than 5.7 billion Korean won ($ 5.2 m) from Shincheonji and submitting false applications to hold religious events at public sports centers.
He was provided a three-year suspended prison term.
Scientists state the sect declares Lee has put on the mantle of Jesus Christ and will take 144,000 people with him to paradise on the day of judgement.
In February, more than 1.4 million people signed a petition on the South Korean governmental workplace website demanding its dissolution.
Shincheonji is known to have some 200,000 followers and has declared its members face social stigma and discrimination if their beliefs become openly understood, dissuading some from reacting to main inquiries.
In current weeks South Korea has several times tape-recorded more than 1,000 brand-new cases a day– low by international requirements, but its highest figures to date– triggering the authorities to increase social distancing limitations and step up testing.
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