NEC Special Prosecutor Summons Former NEC Official Running Company over Alleged Ballot-Box Bid Rigging

[Financial News] The special prosecutor's team investigating the ballot-paper shortage during the June 3 local elections has questioned the head of a company run by a former National Election Commission official over alleged bid rigging in a ballot-box manufacturing project.
According to legal sources on the 21st, the team summoned Person A, who formerly headed the NEC's Political Parties Division and now operates a ballot-box manufacturing company, as a suspect on charges of obstructing bidding.
Three companies whose representatives or executives include A, A's spouse and others are said to have signed roughly 100 contracts worth hundreds of billions of won in total with the NEC from 2018 through this year. One of the companies also won a contract to produce early-voting ballot boxes for the June 3 local elections.
Last month, a joint prosecution-police investigation headquarters also questioned A and the heads of companies that participated in the bidding as suspects. After taking over the case, the special prosecutor's team reportedly summoned A again because it believed there were additional matters to verify.
The team suspects that A put forward so-called 'sham bidders' to make the process appear competitive, then arranged for a company he operated to be selected as the final contractor.
The special prosecutor is questioning A about the bidding process and the division of roles among the companies. The team is also examining whether A colluded in advance with NEC officials responsible for the project, according to reports.
Meanwhile, on the 17th, the special prosecutor's team searched and seized materials from the NEC and NEC-related locations in Gyeonggi Province, Incheon, Busan and Daegu to establish the facts surrounding the ballot-paper shortage during the June 3 local elections. This marked the team's first compulsory investigative action since its launch.
 
[email protected] Choi Eun-sol Reporter