Busan Police Launch Investigation into Busan Metropolitan Council
Following Request from Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission
It has been confirmed that the Busan Metropolitan Council is under police investigation for allegedly inflating overseas business trip expenses.
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 17th that it is currently conducting an investigation after receiving a request from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission at the end of March regarding the execution of business trip expenses, such as inflating airfare costs.
The police stated that the case is currently in the pre-booking investigation stage, and they are verifying the facts with the involved parties.
The Busan Metropolitan Council made several overseas business trips in 2022 and 2023 to promote the bid for the Busan Expo. The police initiated an investigation after confirming that there were violations of regulations during some of these trips.
The council is suspected of inflating estimates for airfare and other expenses through travel agencies and claiming excessive business trip expenses. It is reported that the police are currently investigating about 10 council staff members as well as some councilors.
A police official stated, "If the inflated portion of the business trip expenses was embezzled by individuals, it could be considered embezzlement or fraud," adding, "As the investigation is still in its early stages, we cannot provide detailed information."
The council's position is that the current standards for paying overseas business trip expenses are unrealistic, making it difficult to carry out activities locally, and that adjusting the expenses has become customary practice.
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