Serious Crimes Investigation Agency investigator who received gift certificates from a company under investigation reassigned to a non-investigative department

[Financial News] A former prosecution investigator who was under internal review after receiving gift certificates from a company under investigation while working in a department handling corporate collusion cases has been removed from investigative duties after moving to the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA).
The Seoul Regional Serious Crimes Investigation Agency said on the 21st that it had reassigned Investigator A to a non-investigative department on the 19th. The Seoul agency said, "We plan to verify the facts through the results of a future fact-finding investigation and take appropriate action accordingly."
Investigator A is reportedly a former Grade 6 investigator who worked in the Fair Trade Investigation Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (now the Seoul Central District Prosecution Office). Immediately after the Chuseok holiday last month, he reportedly had dinner with other prosecution investigators and, among others, an executive at an affiliate of a conglomerate who was formerly a prosecution investigator. He was said to have received gift certificates worth 100,000 won at the dinner.
Investigator A and the others later returned the gift certificates and voluntarily reported the matter to the Seoul Central Prosecution Office, prompting an internal review. However, it has emerged that while the review was still underway, A was appointed to the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency under a special provision and had been serving as team leader in the department handling corporate collusion investigations at the Seoul agency.
After conducting its own internal review, the Seoul agency concluded that Investigator A may have violated a public official's duty to maintain dignity and first removed him from investigative duties. It has not yet been notified of the Prosecution Office's review findings. The agency plans to obtain relevant materials during the upcoming fact-finding process, conduct its own investigation, and then decide whether to take further action.
Meanwhile, the Seoul agency circulated a work notice to all employees the previous day, urging them to strengthen workplace discipline and maintain strict standards of conduct in public service.
A Seoul agency official said, "We will continue to fulfill our responsibilities as an investigative agency the public can trust through strict management of staff conduct."
 



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