A former police officer arrested on charges of leaking investigative information in exchange for money and valuables was sentenced to prison.
On the 10th, according to legal sources, Judge Ko So-young of the Seoul Southern District Court's Criminal Division 9 sentenced former police officer Lee, 55, who was charged with bribery, offering a bribe, and violating the Personal Information Protection Act, to two years in prison, a fine of 30 million won, and a forfeiture of 25.55 million won.
Lee was indicted on charges of receiving a total of 24 million won in money and valuables and 1.55 million won worth of entertainment from broker Cho, 63, between Feb. 2022 and Dec. 2024, and passing along the progress of an investigation involving businessman A and the personal information of people connected to the case.
Broker Cho was found to have received about 457 million won in money and valuables from A under the pretext of "exerting influence on the investigator in charge," and to have passed part of it to Lee. A was found to have embezzled about 369 million won from funds of a corporation A operated to raise the money. Trials for Cho and A are ongoing.
Lee worked more than 10 years in criminal and investigative units in Seoul and was reportedly serving in the investigations division of a Seoul police station at the time of the crime. Lee was dismissed when the investigation began.
The court said, "Despite being a police officer who should be fair and clean, Lee accepted money and valuables in return for brokerage and received entertainment, which reflects poorly on the nature of the crime," and added, "Given the period and amount of the bribes, the degree of blame is very high."
However, the court said it considered in sentencing that Lee confessed, had no prior criminal record, and has dependents.