'Supreme scientist' on trial
2006-06-20 16:21
Seoul - South Korea's disgraced cloning expert Hwang Woo-Suk went on trial on Tuesday on fraud, embezzlement and ethical charges related to his faked stem cell research.
Hwang, once referred to as South Korea's "supreme scientist", was indicted on May 12 with five other scientists on charges in connection with the bogus research and the disappearance of millions of dollars in donations.
During the hearing, prosecutors accused Hwang of fabricating research data to obtain millions of dollars in funds.
"This is a unique fraud case in the academic world. He deceived our people and the world and embezzled research funds by using fabricated data," they said in a statement.
About 100 supporters of Hwang disrupted the hearing with boos and shouts despite the presence of dozens of police inside and outside the court.
Several times presiding judge Hwang Hyon-Joo had to call the hearing to order and demand silence from the public.
Hwang apologised through his lawyer while admitting he was partly responsible for the fraudulent stem cell research featured in the 2004 and 2005 papers published in the US journal Science.
"Hwang neglected his duty to oversee his research team," the lawyer said.
Hwang, 52, became a national hero last year when he claimed that he had created 11 patient-specific stem cells in landmark research on cloning.
But a panel of experts at Seoul National University, where Hwang worked as a professor, concluded in January that the stem cell claims were bogus.
The panel also concluded that a 2004 paper by Hwang in which he claimed to have produced a stem cell from a cloned human embryo was fabricated.
Prosecutors said their probe had confirmed that Hwang's claims regarding stem cells were fraudulent.
Specifically, they confirmed the academic panel's conclusion that no cloned stem cells of any kind were ever created by Hwang.
If convicted on all charges, Hwang could face up to five years in prison, legal experts said. The trial is expected to wrap up next month.
Stem cells are master cells that have the potential to develop into any organ of the body. Scientists believe they could be used to fight illnesses including cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.