South Korean Ex-Police Officer Denies Crypto ‘Bribery’ Charges The trial of a former South Korean police officer has begun in Gwangju. The ex-law enforcer denies taking bribes during
a suspected crypto fraud investigation. Per the news broadcaster YTN,
the former police sergeant is accused of receiving bribes from a crypto “broker.” Prosecutors think the ex-police officer (surname: Jang) took over $30,000 in cash “on two occasions” in 2021. The prosecution service said that Jang was part of a team
investigating suspected crypto fraud in the capital Seoul. Prosecutors say that a broker surnamed
Seong gave Jang the money in a bid to divert the course of the investigation. The court heard that Jang said he would “exert an influence”
in a case that was “being investigated by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Financial Crimes Investigation Unit.” Jang confessed to taking money from Seong.
But Jang claimed the payments were loans, not bribes. Jang told the court that a company where he “served as an executive” had been “experiencing [financial] difficulties.” The prosecution service said it wanted to summon and interrogate Seong as a witness.
