Public Hospital Employee Who Received 300 Million Won Foreign Car and Disclosed Bid Price

Busan Police Agency Public Hospital Staff Arrested
Received Mercedes-Benz G-Class as Bribe

An employee of a public hospital in Busan was arrested for accepting a foreign luxury car worth about 300 million KRW as a bribe from a medical supplies vendor.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency's Criminal Mobile Unit announced on the 30th that they had arrested Mr. A, a man in his 40s and a former employee of a public hospital, on charges of bribery and bid rigging. Mr. B, a man in his 40s who sold medical supplies and gave the bribe to Mr. A, was also arrested on charges of bribery and bid rigging.

Mr. A informed Mr. B of the expected bid prices so that Mr. B could supply medical supplies, and in return, received a Mercedes-Benz G-Class worth about 300 million KRW free of charge, which he used for 30 months. Mr. A initially demanded the foreign luxury car as a favor in exchange for preferential treatment. During this period, the lease payments for the vehicle provided by Mr. B to Mr. A amounted to 3.91 million KRW per month, totaling 117 million KRW. Including golf course fees and alcohol expenses paid on behalf of Mr. A since 2021, the confirmed amount reaches over 120 million KRW.

Using the information obtained by receiving the foreign luxury car, Mr. B submitted bid amounts closest to the expected prices and continuously won the bids. In this process, he also mobilized other companies to act as shills.

The police plan to recover the bribes Mr. A received, including alcohol and golf course fees, through a "pre-indictment seizure" procedure. Six other suppliers who colluded with Mr. B and acted as bid shills have all been booked, and their bidding qualifications will be revoked for two years under the Act on Contracts to Which the State is a Party.

The police stated, "We believe there are more cases of bid collusion and bribery practices in public hospitals and are considering expanding the investigation," and requested active reports from citizens.