After Inflating Budget, Received 100 Million Won in Cash Instead of Parts
Money Received in Vitamin Box
Coast Guard: "Establishing Order Through Strict Law Enforcement"
A public official was arrested for embezzling 100 million won in cash from a contractor after inflating the design cost.
On the 12th, the Serious Crime Investigation Team of the Korea Coast Guard announced that they had arrested public official A from Ongjin County Office in Incheon on charges of breach of trust in the course of duty. From December 2019 to March 2021, A carried out a project to replace the aging engine of a 23-year-old fishery patrol vessel. During this process, he is accused of inflating the budget under the pretext of spare parts and pocketing 100 million won in cash without receiving the parts. It was confirmed that instead of receiving the parts, A received a box of Vitamin C products containing 2,000 50,000-won bills from the company representative.
This crime went unnoticed for three years until the first half of last year, when the crew members of the fishery patrol vessel raised internal concerns about the absence of parts reflected in the design documents, leading to the exposure of the case. It was confirmed that A attempted to conceal the crime by having the company officials prepare false custody certificates. According to the Local Public Officials Act, a public official must resign if sentenced to a fine of 3 million won or more for embezzlement or breach of trust during their tenure.
Jung Tae-yeon, head of the Serious Crime Investigation Division of the Korea Coast Guard, stated, "To respond to marine corruption crimes that misuse the people's tax money, we have established and operated the Serious Crime Investigation Team starting this year," adding, "We will establish marine legal order through strict law enforcement."
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