3.3 Wins 4-Year Case; Supreme Prosecutors' Office: 'No Tax Accountant Act Violation'

Samjjamjjam Finally Freed from Allegations of Violating the Certified Public Tax Accountant Act After 4 Years and 2 Months... Controversy Concluded as Supreme Prosecutors' Office Rejects Re-appeal Jobis & Villains, the operator of the tax service platform 'Samjjamjjam,' has finally been freed from the complaint filed by the Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants regarding violations of the Certified Public Tax Accountant Act, which lasted 4 years and 2 months. Jobis & Villains announced on the 12th that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office rejected the re-appeal filed by the Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants on the 29th of last month, putting an end to a long and arduous legal battle. Through its re-appeal rejection decision, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated that "no evidence could be found to deem the decision not to indict and the rejection of the appeal as unjust," once again clearly confirming the legality of Samjjamjjam's service. This signifies that the legal dispute, which began with the Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants' complaint in March 2021, concluded with a result that ultimately sided with Jobis & Villains after going through all judicial procedures. Meanwhile, the Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants and the Korean Association of Tax Agents who Passed the Examination had argued that Samjjamjjam was unlawfully handling tax declarations without the qualification for tax agency. However, investigative agencies consistently concluded that Samjjamjjam's service had no issues under current law. In August 2022, the police decided not to transfer the case, judging that Samjjamjjam had not engaged in unauthorized tax agency, and in November 2023, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office also confirmed a decision not to indict, citing 'no suspicion.' Subsequently, the Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants appealed this decision by successively filing appeals and re-appeals with the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, but all of these were rejected, repeatedly affirming the legality of Samjjamjjam. Jobis & Villains highly welcomed the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's final rejection decision, stating, "We respect the prosecutors' decision and feel a deep sense of relief that the arduous legal dispute has concluded." Furthermore, it conveyed a message stating, "We sincerely hope that the Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants will now cease meaningless, wasteful attacks and move towards a future-oriented path of win-win cooperation," expressing expectations for improved relations between both sides through this incident. This decision by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office provides clear standards for the controversy surrounding the legality of tax service platforms and is evaluated as having further solidified the foundation for innovative fintech-based service models to coexist and develop with existing industries.