[Dispatch=Lee Ajin Reporter] Cha Gawon, chairperson of One Hundred, denied all charges at her first trial.

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 23 (Presiding Judge Oh Seyong) held the first hearing on the 13th for Chairperson Cha. The charges against Chairperson Cha are violations of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud).

Chairperson Cha wore civilian clothes instead of a prison uniform. She entered the courtroom wearing a black blouse with lace and black formal pants. Chairperson Cha's husband and family members watched the trial from the gallery.

On this day, Chairperson Cha completely denied all charges. Min Byungkwon, the legal representative of Chairperson Cha, said, "I deny all the charges. I will elaborate on my position at the next hearing."

According to the prosecution, Chairperson Cha's charges are broadly two. Chairperson Cha is accused of defrauding Normus, an entertainment tech company, of 5.5 billion won each by promising performance contracts and merchandise distribution contracts for Taemin.

She is also accused of defrauding 12.1 billion won by promising to provide a merchandise production and distribution contract for Chen Baekshi, and 1.1 billion won by falsely claiming she would provide a platform business related to fromis_9.

She was also sued by an acquaintance, Mr. Jang. The charges are that Chairperson Cha promised Mr. Jang a lease contract and received 5.4 billion won as a security deposit, then failed to keep the promise.

Chairperson Cha's side requested the dismissal of the compensation order filed by Mr. Jang on this day. Attorney Min raised a question, stating, "(Whether Mr. Jang) is a person with the right to assume ownership with counterclaim rights under the Housing Lease Protection Act, so it can be considered damage."

She added, "The position is that return is sufficiently possible through the villa, making deception difficult and a claim for damages would not be accepted."

Cheon Giseop, an attorney at Law Firm Nova representing Mr. Jang's side, countered, "Actual fraud occurred," and stated, "The villa is not highly valuable and there are substantial prior claims, so the amount that can be recovered is not large."

The court issued an arrest warrant for Chairperson Cha on August 3, stating, "There is concern for destruction of evidence." She is currently detained at Seoul Detention Center. The next trial is scheduled for November 3.

Chairperson Cha took the helm of One Hundred in 2023. She brought in Chen Baekshi, Lee Seunggi, THE BOYZ, VIVIZ, and Lee Mujin. However, she notified the termination of exclusive contracts citing unpaid settlement fees, and is in legal dispute.

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