Prosecutors Clear District Official of 20 Million Won Bribery Allegations After Supplementary Investigation

A public official who was suspected of granting preferential treatment to a specific company in the selection of a sewer repair method and receiving a bribe of around 20 million won in return has been cleared of charges.

Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office.

On December 30, the Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Kyungmin) announced that, after a supplementary investigation, it had decided not to indict a department head-level official from District Office A.

The official was referred to prosecutors in 2023 on suspicion of giving preferential treatment to a particular company during the selection of a sewer repair and reinforcement method around 2018, and of receiving approximately 20 million won after retirement in 2019.

At the time, prosecutors requested a supplementary investigation on the grounds that witness interviews had not been properly conducted during the police investigation stage. However, the case was resubmitted with a recommendation for indictment without any substantial additional investigation.

After directly questioning key witnesses, prosecutors determined that it was difficult to acknowledge that influence had been exerted in favor of the specific company, and decided not to refer the case to trial.

A prosecution official stated, "We will do our utmost to protect the rights of the people by thoroughly verifying the facts through rigorous supplementary investigations and judicial oversight."

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