ID :
203003
Tue, 08/23/2011 - 13:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/203003
The shortlink copeid
Bribes, price rigging taint military food contracts: police
SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean military officials in charge of food procurement for troops took bribes from food companies over the past two years in exchange for overlooking deliveries of spoiled food and other offenses, police investigators said Tuesday.
Police booked eight senior military officials on Tuesday on charges of overlooking deliveries of moldy hamburger buns meant for South Korean troops.
Two lower-level procurement officials, including one surnamed Lee, were arrested for allegedly encouraging food suppliers to hike their prices in order to get a cut of the food companies' illegitimate extra profits.
"As two of the firms involved in the case are giants that cover a wide region of the country, the entire military is assumed to have been fed on hamburger buns and hardtack procured through unethical means," a police investigator said.
In addition, 10 executives from nine food suppliers were booked without physical detention on suspicion of colluding with the official surnamed Lee in order to win bids to provide food for the troops.
Lee is suspected of approaching a prospective food supplier that was set to win its bid to provide food for the military, offering kickbacks if the company hiked its prices, police said. When the company agreed to fix its prices, Lee pocketed a 50 million won (US$46,390) cut of the deal.
The 10 food company executives are suspected of receiving a combined 660 million won in illegitimate profits from colluding to fix their bidding prices in auctions for military supply contracts over two years, police said.
pbr@yna.co.kr
Police booked eight senior military officials on Tuesday on charges of overlooking deliveries of moldy hamburger buns meant for South Korean troops.
Two lower-level procurement officials, including one surnamed Lee, were arrested for allegedly encouraging food suppliers to hike their prices in order to get a cut of the food companies' illegitimate extra profits.
"As two of the firms involved in the case are giants that cover a wide region of the country, the entire military is assumed to have been fed on hamburger buns and hardtack procured through unethical means," a police investigator said.
In addition, 10 executives from nine food suppliers were booked without physical detention on suspicion of colluding with the official surnamed Lee in order to win bids to provide food for the troops.
Lee is suspected of approaching a prospective food supplier that was set to win its bid to provide food for the military, offering kickbacks if the company hiked its prices, police said. When the company agreed to fix its prices, Lee pocketed a 50 million won (US$46,390) cut of the deal.
The 10 food company executives are suspected of receiving a combined 660 million won in illegitimate profits from colluding to fix their bidding prices in auctions for military supply contracts over two years, police said.
pbr@yna.co.kr
