The Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of former Gyeonggi Vice Gov. Lee Hwa-young for accepting bribes from a domestic underwear maker and colluding in the illegal transfer of eight million U.S. dollars to North Korea.

In its decision Thursday, the top court finalized Lee’s sentence of seven years and eight months in prison, a fine of 250 million won, or about 184-thousand dollars, and a forfeiture of 325 million won.

A two-year sentence, suspended for three years, for Ssangbangwool Group Vice Chairman Bang Yong-cheol was also allowed to stand as Bang was found to have been Lee’s accomplice.

The former vice governor was indicted in October 2022 on charges of taking some 334 million won in illegal political funds and bribes from the group between July 2018 and July 2022.

He was also accused of conspiring for Ssangbangwool to send eight million dollars to the North, five million of which was to fund a smart farm project and three million to cover then-Gov. Lee Jae-myung’s trip to the North.

While a separate trial is underway for President Lee, it is unclear whether the legal procedures will continue during his presidency.