Go to contents

Workers at arms trading powerhouse hid documents on corruptions in military procurement

Workers at arms trading powerhouse hid documents on corruptions in military procurement

Posted March. 28, 2015 07:08,   

한국어

The government`s joint investigation team into corruptions in military procurement projects has sought arrest warrants for two company executive and employee, including a 27-year-old man identified by his last name Kim, for the charges of destroying and hiding evidence in connection with swindling of payments for supply of electronic welfare training system (EWTS) for the Air Force committed by Ilgwang Gongyoung Chairman Lee Gyu-tae.

The joint investigation team raided and searched on Wednesday Chairman Lee’s private office on the third floor of a church in Samseon-dong in Seoul’s Seongbuk district, where he is serving as an elder. After hearing testimonies that there is a secret space inside the church building while probing chairman Lee and his acquaintances, the investigation team reportedly launched raid and search operation to find a "secret chamber," and seized some documents related with money laundering. In the process, the team found signs that Ilgwang employees including Kim had siphoned off important documents and computer files on the EWTS project, including accounting books and business plans, and arrested them on the spot.

The church is led by a pastor in charge, who is an elder brother of Cho, 49, a confidant of Chairman Lee and executive of Ilgwang Group affiliate Solbrain, who had been arrested in connection with the case in question. The church is suspected as being the window for money laundering for Ilgwang Gongyoung’s slush funds, was once used as a window for money laundering for Chairman Lee’s commissions in the "Bulgom project," which was designed to collect economic cooperation loans lent in 2009 through Russian weapons.

The chairman of the arms trading powerhouse has been behind bars for taking about 50 billion won (45 million U.S. dollars) extra in the name of research and development expenses, while brokering a contract, in which the military received EWTS supply for the Air Force from Turkish military supplier Havelsan, by cheating the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.



journari@donga.com