The Yeoju Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors Office said Tuesday it sent investigators to the Gangwon Provincial Government headquarters and conducted a search and seizure operation lasting nearly 10 hours.
It is not particularly unusual for Gyeonggi Province prosecutors to carry out a search and seizure at the Gangwon provincial offices.
The investigation began after the Yeoju Branch, while conducting supplementary investigation on a routine complaint case it had received, uncovered information linking a former political appointee at the Gangwon provincial government to the matter.
Because the matter involves a former political appointee, it has no connection to the newly launched ninth elected administration that took office following the June 3 local elections.
Earlier, prosecutors sent an official letter to the Gangwon provincial government last month requesting personnel records that would confirm the positions held by a former Gangwon provincial political appointee identified as "A" during a specific posting, according to sources.
Political appointees are generally handpicked directly by the head of a local government or their close associates, a selection process that differs markedly from the open recruitment used for ordinary civil servants.
It is common for prosecutors investigating a case to extend their probe beyond their own jurisdiction.
Unlike raids conducted under strict secrecy, this operation appears to have proceeded after advance notice and review, including the sending of a prior cooperation request to Gangwon Province.
The offices searched included the spokesperson's office, the policy office, the investment attraction division, the general affairs division and the intelligent information policy division. The intelligent information policy division oversees the servers within the provincial government building.
According to prosecutors and the provincial government, the search and seizure was carried out after person A and an acquaintance identified as "B" were mentioned in connection with the complaint case under investigation — indicating this was not a planned, targeted investigation.
Person B is understood to have worked as a non-standing appointee in the early period of the previous Gangwon provincial administration.
Prosecutors requested all personnel-related records from the general affairs division to verify the relationship between A and B.
The specific charges under investigation have not been disclosed, but the warrant presented during the search and seizure at the provincial offices is understood to have cited suspected third-party bribery.
However, A and B are believed to be witnesses, not suspects, in the third-party bribery case cited in the search warrant.
abc@heraldcorp.com
