“Fake epilepsy and zero days at work”… Will Ravi and Nafla receive prison sentence in first trial for ‘Military Service Corruption’?

On the 10th, the Seoul Southern District Court’s Criminal Division 7 is holding the sentencing date for Ravi, Nafla, and a total of 9 individuals who are facing charges related to violations of the Military Service Act.

The Seoul Southern District Court’s Criminal Division 7 is proceeding with the sentencing on the 10th for Ravi, Nafla, and 9 others who have been indicted for violating the Military Service Act and obstructing official duties. Previously, the prosecution had sought sentences of 2 years and 2 years 6 months of imprisonment for Ravi and Nafla, respectively. There is anticipation about whether the court will impose actual prison sentences on them.

According to the prosecution, Ravi was charged with conspiring with a military service broker named Gu to falsely impersonate an epilepsy patient, obtaining a fraudulent medical certificate, and attempting to obtain an exemption from military service. Ravi was indicted without detention.

It was revealed that Ravi, after receiving an “epilepsy scenario” from Gu, pretended to faint and underwent a hospital examination. Although the attending physician diagnosed no symptoms, Ravi disregarded it and demanded medication, ultimately receiving a prescription for drug treatment.

In 2021, when Ravi submitted a medical certificate suspecting epilepsy to the Military Manpower Administration, Gu even sent a message saying, “Good, you’re exempt from military service.” Ravi, who received a 4th-grade supplementary reserve judgment, carried out alternative service as a social worker starting from October of last year. In the first trial held on April 11th, he admitted to all of the prosecution’s charges.

During his final statement, Ravi appealed, “At the time, I was the only artist generating revenue for the company. Additionally, the contracts that were made before COVID-19 were delayed due to the pandemic. I was in a situation where if I performed social service as a social worker, a significant penalty would be incurred.”

Nafla stated, “I wanted to succeed through music and came to Korea. I was familiar with American culture from a young age, so Korean culture was all new and unfamiliar to me. Starting from the Korean underground scene, I gained popularity through Mnet’s ‘Show Me the Money’ and faced challenges to achieve popularity.”

Both Ravi and Nafla, who were dining under the same roof at the Groovlin agency established by Ravi, have been brought to trial on charges of violating the Military Service Act. Ravi is being tried without detention, while Nafla is in detention.

According to the prosecution, after receiving a grade 3 medical examination result related to military service in 2012, Ravi applied for a deferment of military service on the grounds of attending university, asthma, and skin disorders. After turning 28 years old in 2021, when military service deferment became impossible, it was confirmed that Ravi also submitted a pledge to the Seoul Regional Military Manpower Administration promising to fulfill his military service later.

Ravi entered service as a social worker in October of last year. The prosecution contends that despite Ravi having no health issues, he signed a contract worth 50 million KRW with a military service broker and falsely pretended to have epilepsy to receive an alternative service verdict.

Furthermore, after submitting a medical certificate suspecting epilepsy to the Military Manpower Administration, it was discovered that Gu sent a message saying, “Good, you’re exempt from military service.” During the first trial held on April 11th, Ravi admitted to the prosecution’s charges through his legal representative.

In February 2021, Nafla was summoned as a social worker at the Seocho District Office. Nafla is facing charges of conspiring with a broker to evade military service and falsely manipulating records of his social service worker attendance. It has been revealed that Nafla, in an attempt to be declared unfit for service by exaggerating his worsening symptoms of depression, did not show up for work for a total of 141 days after being assigned as a social service worker at the Seocho District Office.

Before the controversy over military service evasion through feigned depression, Nafla had a previous record of being prosecuted with a suspended sentence for violating the Narcotics Control Act in 2019 due to marijuana smoking. Although he expressed remorse, in 2020, he was again brought to trial and sentenced to 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation for another charge related to marijuana.