Female Police Officer Arrested for Accepting Bribes and Tampering with Evidence
A female police officer, currently serving in the Uijeongbu Police Station, has been indicted while in custody for accepting bribes amounting to over 200 million won (approximately $170,000) from a loan broker in exchange for suppressing investigations and manipulating case records. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced on June 12 that the officer, identified as Jeong (52), was charged with violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery). The loan broker, identified as Kim (43), who provided the bribes, has also been indicted on bribery charges.
According to the prosecution, from June 2020 to February 2021, Jeong solicited money from Kim, who was under investigation for multiple fraud cases, promising to dismiss all charges against him. Over 22 transactions, she allegedly received a total of 211.2 million won. During this period, Jeong is accused of leaking confidential case records to Kim, creating false interrogation documents, and providing him with funds to evade arrest.
Jeong manipulated the case by first changing Kim's registered address to fall under the jurisdiction of the Uijeongbu Police Station, allowing her to reassign the fraud cases against him from other police stations. The prosecution found that she requested the reassignment of Kim's cases, citing personal connections, and received them without any issues.
Throughout her criminal activities, Jeong committed several illegal acts, including providing Kim with case documents related to three fraud complaints in July 2020, fabricating interrogation records in October, and destroying evidence in November. She also altered complaint documents and failed to submit them to the prosecution, leaving them in a cabinet for three years. Furthermore, in May 2022, after Kim was issued an arrest warrant for a separate case, she allegedly provided him with $3,850 to help him flee the country. Even after being informed of Kim's arrest in September 2022, she neglected to investigate the ongoing cases against him.
The investigation revealed that Jeong explicitly demanded money from Kim through messages, stating, "Give me the money today, and I will dismiss everything," and emphasized her influence over the prosecution process. This case has raised concerns about the potential abuse of police authority, especially following the recent adjustments to investigative powers that have granted police greater control over case dismissals.
The prosecution has indicated the need for measures to prevent the abuse of police authority, improvements in case and record management systems, and a review of the case assignment process. They plan to notify the police of the issues uncovered during the investigation and pursue follow-up actions regarding the cases Jeong dismissed.
