Three police lieutenants appeared in court for tipping off brothels of police inspections in exchange for sexual services, prosecutors said Tuesday.

According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the police lieutenants -- identified by their surnames Gu, Yoon and Hwang -- face charges of taking bribes, leaking official secrets, forging official documents and dereliction of duty.

The prosecutors say the police lieutenants, who were members of the prostitution crackdown unit at police agencies in Seoul, provided tips as to inspection dates to Park, a former police officer who ran six brothels in the districts of Gangnam and Yangcheon in Seoul. The police lieutenants also forged documents to protect Park when his business was exposed, they added.

Park, while posted at a police station in Seoul in 2012, disappeared after an arrest warrant against him was issued for offering inspection information to a pimp named Lee Kyung-baek and receiving over 100 million won in bribes.

The prosecution indicted 10 suspects involved in the case, including Gu, Yoon, Hwang and Park.

By Kim Arin  (arin@heraldcorp.com)