A pastor has been referred to prosecutors for allegedly bribing a senior police officer with hundreds of millions of won to use his connections to prompt a police investigation into a rival pastor for embezzlement, local media reported Thursday.
The investigation eventually led to the conviction of the accused pastor, who received a suspended prison sentence in December.
According to the Segye Ilbo, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s anticorruption investigation unit last month referred nine people to prosecutors in connection with the case, including two investigators at Seoul’s Guro Police Station and a former police officer who allegedly pulled strings in exchange for money.
The pastor is accused of paying a total of 750 million won ($512,000) to the officer in three installments between March 2022 and December 2024 in return for helping initiate and steer an investigation into a rival pastor during a leadership dispute at a large church in Seoul’s Guro-gu.
Investigators said the payments began while the officer was still serving on the force and continued after he left police service, as he allegedly kept using his connections within the force.
Police said that while still in service, the officer asked two colleagues at Guro Police Station to launch an investigation into alleged embezzlement of the targeted pastor. Their report was drafted based on a complaint outline provided by church officials working for the opponent pastor.
After leaving the force, in August 2023 he obtained information about the status of the probe and passed it to the pastor. The total 750 million won payment included a 200 million won bonus after prosecutors indicted the rival pastor.
Investigators said the money came from church offerings donated by congregants.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
