Employees of local councils in Gwangju and Jeonnam are under police investigation for inflating overseas business trip expenses and using the difference for other costs.
On July 30, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency announced that more than 10 individuals, including staff members of the Gwangju City Council, Dong-gu, Seo-gu, and Gwangsan-gu council secretariats, as well as travel agency representatives, have been booked without detention on charges of fraud.
They are accused of forging or altering airline ticket receipts during overseas business trips for local councils, inflating the airfare amounts, and pocketing the difference for use as other expenses.
The police reportedly conducted searches of travel agency offices and other locations, securing evidence to substantiate the charges. No local council members have been booked at this time.
The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit 1 of the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency has also begun verifying facts regarding the Jeonnam Provincial Council and 15 basic local councils in cities and counties across Jeonnam.
The investigation is currently at the pre-booking stage, focusing on staff members of council secretariats and travel agency personnel. They are also suspected of inflating business trip expenses by forging or altering airline ticket receipts. Police stated that if criminal acts are confirmed, these individuals will be formally booked on charges of fraud.
Previously, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission inspected overseas business trips at 243 local councils and identified 405 cases involving forged or altered airline tickets, referring these cases to investigative agencies for further investigation.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
