It has been confirmed that in the bribery case involving former Donghae Mayor Sim Gyu-eon, who was recently sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison in the first trial, only the public official who acted as a delivery intermediary and the seafood distributor who provided the bribes were initially referred to the prosecution.
The Busan District Prosecutors Office Dongbu Branch explained in a press release today (July 8) that it conducted a supplementary investigation into the case, which had initially only included the distributor and the intermediary official, and uncovered that the bribes had ultimately reached the head of the local government.
According to the prosecution, the investigation began when the Ulsan Coast Guard became aware that a senior public official in Donghae, identified as A, had demanded and received 10 million won from a seafood distributor, B, who operates businesses in Busan and Donghae, under the pretext of overseas travel expenses.
At the time, official A stated that the 10 million won had not been passed on to former Mayor Sim, and the Ulsan Coast Guard referred only the bribery charges against A and B to the prosecution.
The prosecution, through multiple search and seizure operations and other supplementary investigative measures, captured evidence suggesting that the 10 million won had flowed to former Mayor Sim and subsequently tracked the flow of funds.
Following this, the prosecution indicted former Mayor Sim on charges of receiving a total of 60 million won from B, including the 10 million won for overseas travel expenses and 50 million won for election funds, as well as receiving 1.1 billion won from an executive of a cement company over a period of 3 years and 5 months under the guise of transportation brokerage fees.
After a trial that lasted 1 year and 4 months, the first-instance court sentenced former Mayor Sim to 9 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of 1.2 billion won on June 30.
A prosecution official stated, "Because prosecutors are capable of conducting direct supplementary investigations and direct investigations into corruption crimes under the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors Office Act, we were able to discover the substantive truth of the bribery case."
Amid growing interest in whether the prosecution's authority for supplementary investigations should be maintained—following recent revelations of collusion between the investigation team and the police officer father of Jang Yun-gi, the perpetrator of the Gwangju high school girl murder case—the prosecution has repeatedly emphasized the necessity of such supplementary investigations.
The Dongbu Branch stated, "This case is an example where the full scope of the matter was uncovered through the prosecution's direct supplementary investigation after the case was referred, preventing the concealment of corruption and ensuring that punishment commensurate with the crime is carried out," adding, "It is a case that reaffirms the necessity of the prosecution's supplementary investigation authority."
(Photo: Yonhap News)