4 days ago
Public official gets 10 years for bribery in Pyeongchang sewerage projects
A former head of the Pyeongchang County Water and Sewerage Office was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for taking bribes related to county sewage system projects, according to local news reports.
The Chuncheon District Court in Gangwon Province also fined him 1 billion won ($710,000) and ordered the forfeiture of 350 million won. He was convicted of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
Two former subordinates received sentences of three years and two years and six months in prison, respectively. They were ordered to forfeit 40 million to 50 million won. The head of the construction company that paid the bribes was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, suspended for probation.
The court also sentenced a former Pyeongchang police officer to one year and six months in prison, suspended for probation, for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
Prosecutors said the former water office chief accepted 350 million won in bribes between 2018 and 2020, while his subordinate, sentenced to three years, received 44 million won between 2018 and 2019 from the company head. The other subordinate also received tens of millions of won in bribe.
The office head allegedly demanded 10 percent of construction fees in exchange for helping the company secure water and sewerage contracts worth 3.7 billion won.
The former police officer was found to have received 20 million won in exchange for leaking details about an investigation into a workplace accident involving a company employee.
