Resigned Employee Charged 30 Million KRW on Company Card for Camping Gear... Possible Due to Mobile Payment Availability

Appellate Court Upholds Original Sentence of "4 Months Imprisonment"

A man in his 30s who used a corporate card to spend tens of millions of won for several months after resigning through a recommended resignation was sentenced to prison.

According to Yonhap News on the 10th, the Criminal Division 2 of Chuncheon District Court (Chief Judge Kim Seong-rae) sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of computer fraud, to four months in prison, the same as the original sentence.

Mr. A is accused of using the hospital credit card from August 2022 to January 2023 after resigning while he was in charge of accounting at a nursing hospital in Wonju. Over several months, he purchased items worth about 30 million won, including expensive travel bags and camping equipment, in 35 transactions. He abused the easy payment function linked to the hospital credit card, which he had set up for purchasing supplies while employed, even after his resignation.

In the first trial, considering that Mr. A made no particular effort to recover the damages, was absent several times on the sentencing date, and was a first-time offender, he was sentenced to four months in prison and detained in court.

Mr. A appealed, claiming the sentence was too harsh, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal, stating, "There are no new facts or changes in circumstances that would justify overturning the original sentencing decision."

A corporate card is a credit card issued to companies, institutions, or business operators. The users and scope are determined according to the purpose and characteristics of the issuing institution. Although employees use the card for daily purposes, using a corporate card unrelated to work constitutes breach of trust in the course of duty. Using a corporate card for personal purposes can be considered embezzlement in the course of duty.