Anti-Corruption Commission Uncovers and Refers Bribery Case Involving Public Official
Bribes Demanded Under Pretense of "Pushing Through a Contract"
Official Received Kickbacks After Inflating Supply Prices
A public official was caught accepting bribes such as birthday congratulatory money for their spouse and car installment payments from suppliers.
On the 10th, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced that it had detected a public official who demanded various bribes through several cunning methods and referred the case to the supervisory agency, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the investigative agency, the prosecution.
According to the Anti-Corruption Commission, the caught official, Mr. A, was affiliated with a local government office under a central government ministry and was responsible for ordering the purchase of facility safety supplies. An employee, Mr. B, who worked at the same agency, operated a safety supplies delivery company in the region under the name of his spouse. Mr. A is suspected of using his position to have Mr. B pay the installment fees for a Grandeur passenger car registered under Mr. A’s spouse’s name.
Mr. A also demanded that Mr. B transfer 2 million won as birthday congratulatory money for his spouse’s account under the pretext of "pushing through a contract." He even requested a Maltese dog as a gift for an acquaintance, and it was confirmed that Mr. A’s acquaintance actually received a dog worth about 800,000 won.
It was revealed that Mr. A involved a third company in the bribery process. First, when Mr. A ordered goods at an inflated price above the scheduled amount, the supplier disguised a transaction with the third company for the difference in amount. Then, the third company returned the transaction amount to Mr. A.
Lee Myung-soon, Vice Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s Corruption Prevention Division, stated, "This case involves a public official responsible for ordering safety supplies who accepted bribes using various methods. It is an incident that must never be repeated to ensure a safe environment and proper use of taxpayers’ money." She added, "Since this is a case of entrenched local corruption involving a public official working in the region, their colleagues, and local companies operated by their families, thorough investigation and prevention of recurrence are necessary."
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