Officers who didn't work claimed over 50 hours of overtime pay

Police officers who falsified overtime records to collect pay without actually working have been referred to prosecutors.

Gwangju Nambu Police Station said Thursday it had forwarded two officers from Gwangju Dongbu Police Station to prosecutors without detention on charges including falsification of electronic public records.

The two are accused of inflating their overtime hours by leaving false login records on the department's computer network or submitting fraudulent approval requests, despite not having worked the hours claimed.

The officers, who work in an investigative unit, applied for overtime pay claiming roughly 40 to 50 hours of overtime per month, with some of those hours allegedly entered fraudulently.

A senior officer also booked in connection with the case was cleared after investigators confirmed the overtime hours claimed were legitimate, and the case against that officer was not forwarded.

Police launched the investigation after receiving a complaint in December last year alleging that staff at Dongbu Police Station had systematically manipulated work records, and have been investigating for eight months.

The complaint reportedly alleged that the officers had applied for around 100 hours of overtime per month and collected pay they were not entitled to.