Auditor asks prosecution to probe 27 NEC officials over hiring corruption

SEOUL, The state audit agency said Tuesday it has uncovered widespread hiring irregularities within the National Election Commission (NEC), and asked the prosecution to investigate 27 former and current employees suspected of having actively participated in the corruption. Wrapping up its yearlong inspection, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) said the practice of ignoring laws related to recruitment, personnel affairs and employee service has been prevalent throughout the NEC organization. The inspection began after suspicion arose a year ago that at least several children of former and current senior officials of the election watchdog landed NEC jobs thanks to the influence of their fathers. The BAI said the suspected nepotism at the NEC mostly occurred in the competitive recruitment of experienced employees. The agency said it inspected all 167 rounds of recruitment of experienced employees conducted since 2013 and confirmed about 800 violations of regulations. Mid- and high-level NEC officials f requently asked that their children be given priority in recruitment, and agency recruiters used various illegal and expedient methods to commit hiring corruption, the BAI said, noting the 27 former and current employees will probably be charged with abuse of power, obstruction of the execution of official duties, and violating the anti-corruption and public service laws. Specifically, children of NEC officials were secretly recruited, and interview scores were manipulated or forged, while agency recruiters were found to have destroyed or attempted to destroy evidence related to hiring corruption. The hiring corruption may have undermined the fairness of public service recruitment by producing a large number of victims, such as ordinary applicants, who were deprived of employment opportunities, the BAI noted. The BAI also said it has uncovered many cases of indiscipline among NEC officials. For instance, the secretary general of a regional NEC chapter was found to have been absent from work for over 100 da ys on the basis of fraudulent medical certificates and used false sick leave to enjoy overseas vacation for over 170 days on about 70 occasions. Source: Yonhap News Agency