The prosecution said Monday that it has launched an inspection into allegations that an incumbent prosecutor received kickbacks from a businessman, in the latest blow to the scandal-marred justice system. 

The senior prosecutor, identified only by his surname Kim, is suspected of taking a total of 15 million won ($13,564) in bribes from a businessman, also surnamed Kim, in exchange for dismissing a case about his alleged embezzlement and fraud. The two attended the same middle and high schools.

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office opened the internal inspection earlier on Friday upon receiving a report from the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office.

The top prosecutors’ office is set to inspect the reporting process and check whether there were any attempts by the local prosecutors’ office to cover up the incumbent prosecutor’s alleged wrongdoing. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office had allegedly been aware of the corruption suspicions since May.

The senior prosecutor is suspected of receiving the kickbacks in February and March through his acquaintances’ bank accounts. In return, the prosecutor reportedly met with investigators from his office for dinner to ask them to drop the case involving the person who gave the bribe.

The businessman, who is currently on the wanted list, fled while the prosecution applied for a court-issued warrant to arrest him. He argued in interviews with local media that he had served as a “financial sponsor” for the prosecutor by providing him with meals and money on a regular basis.

During questioning by the probe team over the weekend, the senior prosecutor Kim allegedly said he had borrowed the money and paid it back in about a month, dismissing the businessman’s claims as false. He also reportedly said the financial transactions were not related to the legal case.

“The suspect (the businessman) is an alumni of my middle and high school, but we are not at all related. Our financial transactions were over before he was sued in a fraud case,” the prosecutor told a local news agency. “It is an unilateral argument by the suspect who refuses to comply with legal procedures.”

The allegation is the latest in a series of corruption scandals involving former and incumbent legal professionals, which has taken a toll on the reputation of the nation’s justice system.

On Friday, the prosecution arrested an incumbent senior judge, identified by his surname Kim, on suspicion of accepting kickbacks from ex-Nature Republic CEO Jung Woon-ho. Jung allegedly asked the judge to hand down a heavy sentence to cosmetics makers who distributed fake Nature Republic products.

In June, prosecutor-turned-lawyer Hong Man-pyo was arrested over suspicions that he evaded taxes and used his connections in the judiciary to seek a lenient ruling for his client Jung.

The judge-turned-lawyer Choi You-jeong is also standing trial on suspicions of taking advantage of her status as a former judge to seek a favorable ruling for Jung. In return, she allegedly received 5 billion won in attorney fees.

Ex-senior prosecutor Jin Kyung-joon was indicted in late July on charges of benefiting from shady stock transactions and accepting bribes worth 950 million won from Kim Jung-ju, the founder of the nation’s largest game-maker Nexon.
The Supreme Court said it will hold an emergency meeting of lower court chiefs Tuesday to discuss a solution to prevent a recurrence of such corruption scandals. Yang Sung-tae, chief justice of the Supreme Court, is set to offer a public apology during the meeting, the court said.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)