Supplying Fish Cake, Fish Cutlet, Pork Cutlet, Bulgogi Patty, etc. to the Military Since 2007
Reporter Dongju Yoon doso7@
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The CEO of a military supply food company, who was prosecuted for bribing the Chief Judge of the High Military Court and the police chief, has had his prison sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court.
On the 24th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Cheon Daeyeop) announced that it upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing food company CEO A, who was charged with bribery, obstruction of official duties by deception, and embezzlement, to three years in prison.
Previously, between 2015 and 2019, when foreign substances were detected in the food supplied to the military or the content was below standard, A allegedly gave about 60 million won to Lee Dongho, then Chief Judge of the High Military Court, and about 9 million won to B, the police chief of Sacheon Police Station in Gyeongnam, to cover up these issues. A was also prosecuted for interfering with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's bidding process and embezzling approximately 600 million won of company funds.
The food company had been supplying fish cakes to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration since 2007 and later expanded its military supply items to include shrimp patties, fish cutlets, pork cutlets, and bulgogi patties, according to investigations.
The first and second trials sentenced A to three years in prison. The second trial court stated, "The defendant made requests to military legal officers, police officers, prosecutors' investigators, and soldiers for over four years and gave substantial bribes. He embezzled company funds at his discretion and, to achieve his goals, submitted falsified electronic tax invoices during the bidding process for supplying French fries and meatballs, showing no hesitation in means or methods."
The Supreme Court agreed with this judgment. The court said, "The lower court did not err in its legal interpretation regarding the establishment of fraud charges and the intent to unlawfully gain in the embezzlement charge," and dismissed all appeals.
Meanwhile, B, who was tried together on bribery charges, received a confirmed sentence of eight months in prison and a fine of 10 million won. The second trial court pointed out that B "damaged social trust in the fairness and non-purchasability (things that cannot be bought or sold) of judicial police duties," and the Supreme Court upheld the second trial's sentence.
Separately, the former military court chief Lee was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 60 million won by the Supreme Court in April for bribery and other charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
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