Police Inspector Given Suspended Prison Sentence for Demanding Alcohol and Dinner Money from DUI Suspect

A police inspector in his 60s, who demanded money for a team dinner and a bottle of liquor in exchange for leniency toward a drunk driving suspect, has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.

The Incheon District Court announced that it sentenced Inspector A, a police officer in his 60s stationed at a police station in Incheon who was indicted on charges of soliciting a bribe, to six months in prison, suspended for one year, along with a fine of 1 million won.

Inspector A was indicted on charges of advising a suspect, identified as B, in a drunk driving traffic accident case assigned to him in May of last year to reach a settlement with the victims, while also demanding 300,000 won for a team dinner and a bottle of liquor.

Suspect B subsequently reached a settlement with the victims, and Inspector A booked B only on charges of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act, excluding the charge of bodily injury resulting from professional negligence under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.

Suspect B was accused of driving a vehicle while heavily intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.114% for 5 kilometers from Michuhol-gu to Yeonsu-gu in Incheon at around 00:20 on April 25 of last year, crashing into a taxi that was waiting at a traffic signal.

According to the investigation, Inspector A told B, who appeared for suspect interrogation, "The investigation went well, and we will be having a team dinner soon. It would be great if you could support us with the dinner expenses," and demanded, "Bring 300,000 won in cash to the police station on the day of the dinner."

He even sent a text message saying, "When you come to the police station, please grab a bottle of liquor from the mart."

During the trial, Inspector A argued that although he did ask B for money and valuables, it did not constitute a bribe as there was no connection to his official duties or any quid pro quo.

However, the court ruled that Inspector A solicited money from B in connection with his typical duties as a police officer conducting criminal investigations.

Even B, who had no personal acquaintance with Inspector A, stated during the investigation that upon receiving such a demand, "I thought it was a bribe and felt I should not give it."

The court explained the reasoning behind the sentencing, stating, "While the defendant was previously disciplined with three-month and two-month suspensions over several years while handling traffic investigation duties, we also took into consideration that he is a first-time offender, has served as a police officer for a long period, and has received numerous commendations."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video edited by | Designed by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.