Former Chief Secretary to Gangjin County Governor Sentenced to 7 Years for Bribery and Speculation

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The former secretary to the Gangjin County Governor was sentenced to a heavy prison term for receiving bribes in exchange for selecting a sewage treatment facility company for the Gawudo tourist complex in Gangjin, Jeonnam, and for involvement in land speculation related to the tourist complex development project.

The Criminal Division 1 of the Gwangju District Court Jangheung Branch (Chief Judge Kim Sang-gyu) on the 18th sentenced A (62), the former secretary to the Gangjin County Governor, who was indicted on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violation of the Anti-Corruption Act, to 7 years in prison and a fine of 180 million KRW, and ordered a confiscation of 40 million KRW.

B (53), a former reporter of a certain media company who was indicted together on bribery charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, was sentenced to 5 years in prison and fined 90 million KRW, with an additional confiscation of 20 million KRW.

C (51), a representative of the sewage treatment company who was prosecuted on charges of offering bribes, was sentenced to 1 year in prison with a 2-year probation.

A and B were indicted on charges of receiving 60 million KRW from C on June 12, 2019, in exchange for selecting the company and method for the small-scale sewage terminal treatment facility in Gawudo, which they divided into 40 million KRW and 20 million KRW respectively.

Investigations revealed that they took money from C by promising that the selected company would not be changed.

A was also prosecuted for informing B of development information about the Gawudo tourist complex project, which he learned due to his position in December 2019, and for assisting B in purchasing three parcels of development land (worth approximately 600 million KRW based on purchase price) on September 28, 2021.

The court stated, "A, as a political public official, disclosed information that should not have been made public and accepted bribes in exchange for company selection. This damaged the integrity and morality of public officials. Furthermore, after becoming the subject of investigation, A actively attempted to destroy evidence by coordinating with B and changing mobile phones. Considering the severity of the crime and the high potential for social condemnation, the sentence was determined."

Regarding B, the court said, "B played a central role in the bribery crime and attempted to destroy evidence, causing confusion in the investigation. B also shifted responsibility onto co-defendant A. These factors were considered in determining the sentence."

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