Senior prosecutor indicted for graft

Kim Gwang-jun, a senior prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office who was charged with taking more than a billion won in bribes from corporate officials and a veteran con man, was indicted with detention.

The team of special prosecutors headed by Kim Soo-chang yesterday held a press briefing at the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office in Gongdeok-dong, western Seoul, after wrapping up a 29-day investigation.

The prosecutors said that they have indicted the accused prosecutor with detention for taking 1.03 billion won ($951,000) in bribes from Eugene Group, a construction company, and Cho Hee-pal, a pyramid scheme con man, as well as other corporation officials, when he was investigating corporate irregularities at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in 2008.

This is what prosecutors think Kim has taken in bribes: 593 million won from Eugene Group; 270 million won from the con man; a Macau trip worth 6.67 million won from KTF, an affiliate of mobile carrier KT in 2008; 80 million won from a couple who formerly worked at the National Intelligence Service in November 2009 in return for exercising his influence in the couple’s lawsuit case; and 54 million won from a CEO of a small steel enterprise when he was a senior prosecutor of Pohang District Prosecutors’ Office under the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office, in 2005.

The previously reported number was 970 million won.

The team of special prosecutors said Kim is also suspected of taking an additional 100 million won in bribes from other construction corporation officials when he worked at the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office in 2006, as well as from real estate agents.

It said that 100 million won was not included in the indictment due to lack of evidence.

The special prosecutors also put Kim’s apartment and a car under provisional attachment until his trial ends.

They added that this is the first time for an incumbent prosecutor to be indicted with detention in the last decade and the amount of bribes taken by Kim was the largest ever in history.

The team of special prosecutors said he invested most of the bribe money in Eugene Group’s stocks, but failed to make big profits.

By Kwon Sang-soo, Lee Dong-hyun [sakwon80@joongang.co.kr]