▲ Seoul High Court
A police officer who was put on trial for receiving hundreds of millions of won in bribes from a suspect to cover up cases has been sentenced to prison in his second trial as well.
The Criminal Division 15-2 of the Seoul High Court (Senior Judges Lee Hee-jun, Sung Eon-ju, and Won Ik-seon) today (June 5) sentenced a former police officer, surnamed Jeong, indicted on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, to six years in prison and a fine of approximately 250 million won, upholding the lower court's ruling.
The court also ordered a forfeiture of 251.5 million won.
A loan broker, identified as A, who bribed Jeong, was also sentenced to two years in prison, consistent with the first trial.
Regarding Jeong, the court criticized, "The defendant's crime significantly undermined social trust in the fairness of investigations, making it highly blameworthy," adding, "There is a need for severe punishment."
The court also rebuked A, saying, "In light of the content, means, and consequences of the crime, the nature of the offense is severe."
Jeong is accused of receiving a total of 211.2 million won over 22 occasions from a man surnamed Kim, who was under investigation for multiple fraud cases between June 2020 to February 2021, after demanding money and promising, "I will gather all the cases and ensure they are not prosecuted."
Investigation revealed that Jeong blatantly demanded money, sending messages such as, "Give me the money today. I'll make sure everything is dismissed without prosecution," and "Starting next year, the investigative powers will be independent, and the changed system will be your world, Kim."
In return for the money, Jeong reportedly had fraud cases in which Kim was a suspect (16 cases based on complainants) transferred and reassigned to him from other police stations, and subsequently decided not to refer them to the prosecution or forwarded them with a recommendation for non-prosecution.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.