▲ National Election Commission Special Counsel Team Withdraws
The special counsel team investigating the National Election Commission (led by Special Counsel Lee Tae-han) is expanding its probe by conducting raids over newly uncovered allegations of bid-rigging involving approximately 5 billion won at the commission.
The special counsel team announced that it has been conducting raids since around 8:00 a.m. today (the 14th) on five locations, including the Central Election Commission and election supply companies in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, and Daegu, on charges of professional breach of trust and obstruction of bidding.
A total of about 30 personnel were deployed to the raid sites, including six forensic investigators from the special counsel team and three forensic investigators from the Korean National Police Agency.
The special counsel team stated that it has confirmed allegations of collusion between the Election Commission and specific companies during the 5 billion won polling station supply set manufacturing projects for the 21st presidential election last year and the local elections this year.
It was learned that the bid-rigging allegations targeted in these raids were independently identified by the special counsel team during the course of the investigation.
Previously, the special counsel team had been investigating allegations of bid-rigging for early voting boxes involving a former Election Commission official, which were transferred from the joint investigation headquarters of the prosecution and police.
Last month, the special counsel team summoned and questioned a representative of a ballot box manufacturing company, identified as A, as a suspect in obstruction of bidding.
A, a former head of the party affairs division at the Central Election Commission, is accused of securing a winning bid by putting forward a so-called "stalking horse" (dummy) company in the bidding process to select suppliers for early voting boxes for the June 3 local elections.
Among the 13,376 semi-transparent in-jurisdiction early voting boxes supplied by A's company, 790 were recalled after defects were found, such as incorrectly installed parts or locks failing to secure.
As multiple product defects came to light, delivery was also delayed past the initial contract deadline.
The Central Election Commission is suspected of forming a so-called "Sunfia (NEC mafia) cartel" by signing a total of 103 contracts with three companies linked to A, his spouse, and his son.
The scale of the contracts amounts to 175 billion won, of which 90 were private contracts.
The special counsel team plans to analyze the seized materials to examine overall suspicions regarding the lax operation of the Election Commission, such as preferential treatment in private contracts and collusion with companies, and to determine the accountability of those involved.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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