The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on May 11 that it has referred officials from the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) and the CEO of H&DE to law enforcement for investigation regarding the alleged leak of bid information related to the operation rights of rest areas.
The ministry revealed on May 7 that its audit, which began in January, uncovered irregularities in profit distribution and favoritism in the bidding process for rest area operations, which contradict the nonprofit purpose of the organization, the Dosheng Association, comprised of KEC retirees.
According to the ministry, there are suspicions that bid information was leaked prior to the bidding for the Seonsan (Changwon) rest area, for which H&DE was selected as the project implementer in August of last year.
KEC issued the bid announcement for the Seonsan (Changwon) rest area on May 15 of last year. It was confirmed that H&DE reported the status of its research project, bid announcement, and proposal schedule to the board of the Dosheng Association two months earlier, in March.
There are also indications of possible price information leaks and collusion among KEC officials and bidding participants. The winning bid price for the Seonsan (Changwon) rest area was determined by averaging the prices submitted by bidders, and H&DE's bid price closely matched the average bid price of other participants.
In response, the ministry has referred five individuals to the police for investigation into major bidding irregularities, including four KEC officials involved in the bidding process for the Seonsan (Changwon) rest area and the CEO of H&DE, on charges of bid obstruction and breach of trust, including allegations of favoritism.
A ministry official stated, "We plan to actively cooperate with the investigation by providing audit materials and other relevant information."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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