No jail time for Hwang

After a three-year trial, Hwang Woo-Suk, the South Korean stem cell researcher accused of criminal fraud and embezzlement in May, 2006, was convicted today (October 26) of embezzling 830 million won ($705,000) in research funds -- money he had won based on two Science papers based on fabricated data -- and of illegally buying human eggs for his research. He will not, however, serve any time behind bars.

Pro-Hwang protest at Seoul National University in February 2006 Image: Wikimedia commons

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Hwang to two years in jail but suspended the sentence because "he has shown he has truly repented for his crime," according to their verdict, linkurl:Reuters reported.;http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59P0QF20091026 If he stays out of trouble for three years, the sentence will be lifted. Prosecutors had been hoping for four years in prison. "Perhaps there is a chance that he might regain trust from people through...