Prosecutors Arrest and Indict Police Officer for Accepting 14 Million Won from Suspect... Prosecutors' Supplementary Investigation Reveals 'Bribery' Nature

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[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] A police officer who received bribes worth over 10 million won after being solicited by a suspect under investigation for fraud to intervene in the case has been brought to trial.

Initially, the police applied the lesser charge of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and transferred the case to the prosecution without detention. However, through supplementary investigations, the prosecution uncovered that a quid pro quo bribe had been exchanged and applied the charge of accepting bribes under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch's Corruption and Violent Crime Division (Chief Prosecutor Park Geon-wook) announced on the 30th that they had indicted Sergeant A (59), affiliated with a police station in the Seoul area, on charges of accepting bribes under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. The charge of accepting bribes under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes is a special provision that imposes heavier penalties than the general offense of bribery under the Criminal Act.

Article 132 of the Criminal Act (Bribery for Intermediation) states, "If a public official uses their position to receive, demand, or promise a bribe concerning the intermediation of matters within the duties of another public official, they shall be punished by imprisonment for up to three years or disqualification for up to seven years." Meanwhile, Article 3 of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Acceptance of Bribes for Intermediation) stipulates, "Anyone who receives, demands, or promises money or benefits concerning the intermediation of matters within the duties of a public official shall be punished by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 10 million won."

According to the prosecution, Sergeant A is accused of receiving a total of 14 million won over four occasions during five months from November 2017 to March 2018 while working at a police station in the Gangwon region, from suspect B, who was under investigation for fraud, under the pretext of arranging a dismissal of charges.

Investigations revealed that B attempted to solicit favors through Sergeant A to the police officers investigating him.

This fact came to light after B, who is serving a prison sentence for murder, filed a complaint against A with the police and reported the matter through the National Police Agency's online complaint system.

Earlier, the police had judged that Sergeant A received money without any solicitation related to "case dismissal" and applied the charge of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, transferring the case to the prosecution in September last year.

However, upon reviewing the police transfer records, the prosecution suspected that the money exchanged between the two was a bribe in return for "case dismissal intervention" and conducted additional raids earlier this year.

During the process of tracking Sergeant A's bank accounts and executing communication warrants, the prosecution secured text messages in which Sergeant A promised B a dismissal of charges in exchange for money.

The prosecution indicted B, who gave money to Sergeant A requesting intervention to dismiss the case, on charges of bribery and sent him to trial without detention.

The prosecution stated, "This is a case where the true nature of the incident, which was obscured by the initially transferred criminal facts, was revealed through proactive and direct supplementary investigations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.