By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Police confiscated documents from Kumho Engineering & Construction headquarters in central Seoul and Paju City Hall Friday to secure evidence of a bribery scandal involving a building project inside Gyoha U-City in northern Gyeonggi Province.
Officers seized two computer hard discs and two boxes of documents from the constructor and four hard discs and six boxes of bidding documents from the local administration. They also searched the house of a Kumho staff member, who had allegedly delivered 100, 100,000 won department store gift certificates to a Seoul university professor, who was a member of the screening panel for the project.
The professor, Lee, informed police Tuesday that three bidders for the construction project tried to bribe him after he was nominated. He testified the Kumho staff member, identified as Cho, handed him the vouchers after Kumho won the project bidding. Cho indicated that his boss would provide more ``cash-equivalents'' if he helped Kumho win the bid but he refused the offer, Lee said.
The professor also suspected that a city hall insider leaked the names of the screening panel to the constructors to allow them the opportunity to approach its members. Under city ordinances, the identities of screening committee members must be kept confidential.
He said other people on the committee might have received bribes saying it was almost a ``custom'' among construction companies.
The Kumho staff member admitted the bribe attempt, but said it was his personal decision and he received no instructions from the company.
The investigators will file for an arrest warrant for Cho and summon those involved in the case as early as next week.