Former Police Officer Who Demanded Bribe Saying "I'll Exclude the Thanks" Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] A former police officer who took bribes from a businessman under the pretext of dismissing sanctions during the government's anti-corruption inspection was sentenced to prison.

On the 24th, according to the legal community, Judge Kim Jeong-min of the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 10 sentenced A (43), a former member of the Jeonnam Police Agency, who was indicted on charges of bribery mediation, to one year in prison and ordered a fine of 20 million won.

A was prosecuted on charges of demanding tens of millions of won from businessman B, who was suspected of poor performance related to the government's smart factory construction project on June 7 last year, under the pretext of dismissing sanctions.

At the time, A emphasized his friendship with C, a member of the Jeonnam Police Agency seconded to the Government Joint Anti-Corruption Promotion Team of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and demanded 20 million won as lobbying funds.

He also hinted that if things went well later, an additional 50 to 70 million won might be needed as a success fee.

Later, A said, "The recovery of about 190 million won in project expenses was inevitable, but I managed to avoid investigation requests, Board of Audit and Inspection audits, and sanctions restricting project participation for three years," and asked for an additional 52 million won. Of this, 2 million won was A's share.

The amount A took from the businessman was 20 million won, which was confirmed to have been returned before the investigation began.

Judge Kim said, "The fairness of the affairs handled by police officers and social trust were greatly damaged," and "Considering the defendant's position, the nature of the crime, and the amount demanded, the guilt is heavy and severe punishment is inevitable."

However, he explained the sentencing reasons, saying, "The defendant fully admitted his wrongdoing and showed a remorseful attitude, returned the illicitly obtained money before the investigation started, and was dismissed from public office after disciplinary action, among other factors."

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