Vitamin C Box Exposed as Bribery Ruse: Government Official Caught Red-Handed with 100 Million Won in Cash
Government Official Caught for Embezzling 100 Million Won in Cash
A public official in his 40s has been tried on charges of embezzling 100 million won in cash by inflating the cost of a project to replace an old fishing guide ship.
Case Details
According to the Coast Guard, the Criminal Division 6 of the Incheon District Prosecutor’s Office recently arrested and charged Mr. A, a civil servant from the Ongjin County Prosecutor’s Office, on charges of breach of trust.
The prosecution also charged Mr. B, a 50-year-old CEO of a ship parts supplier who had handed over cash to Mr. A, without detention on the same charge.
Project Background
From December 2019 to March 2021, the Ongjin County Office spent about 1.5 billion won to carry out a project to replace the old engine of a fishing boat that was about 23 years old.
Embezzlement Scheme
Mr. A, who has long been in charge of work related to fisheries guidance boats at the Ongjin County Office, is accused of inflating the budget by about 100 million won in the name of spare parts costs in June 2020 and pocketing cash without receiving parts from Mr. B, the company representative.
It turned out that Mr. B packed 2,000 50,000-won notes in a commercially available vitamin C steel case and handed them over to Mr. A.
Investigation and Discovery
Their crime was discovered in the first half of last year, when the fishing boat’s crew confirmed that some parts mirrored in the blueprint were missing.
It was reported that Mr. A attempted to hide the crime by having Mr. B fill out a false certificate of preservation. However, he was caught by the Coast Guard investigation team who obtained the relevant information.
Response from Authorities
Jeong Tae-yeon, head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Department, said, “This year, we have established a new serious crimes investigation team to respond to maritime corruption crimes involving the misappropriation of public money,” adding, “We will continue to establish maritime law and order through resolute and rigorous law enforcement against related crimes.”
By Hyewon Lee, Donga.com Reporter