Arrest warrants have been dismissed for three Samsung C&T officials accused of embezzling 20 billion won from the national budget by inflating construction cost estimates for the Gageo Island breakwater restoration project in South Jeolla Province.

According to the Seoul Southern District Court on the 7th, Chief Judge Kwon Ki-man, who was in charge of the warrant, interrogated a total of three suspects 스포츠토토 (warrant review) before arrest on the previous day (6th), including two current and former executives and employees of Samsung C&T, the construction company, and one supervising designer who participated in the construction. After that, he dismissed the warrant, saying, “There is a lack of explanation for the crime and there is room for dispute, so it is necessary to ensure that the right of defense is sufficiently exercised in a state of detention.”

He also added, “Given the progress of the investigation, attitude toward interrogation, and social ties, it is difficult to see that the suspects have concerns about destroying evidence or running away.”

They received an additional 34.7 billion won for the construction cost when a clay layer, a soft ground, was discovered during the breakwater restoration work ordered by the Mokpo Regional Office of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in 2013. In the process, he is accused of stealing about 20 billion won by manipulating material and labor costs (obstruction of public administration by deception and fraud under the Aggravated Punishment Act for Specific Economic Crimes).

Earlier, in August 2020, the Korea Coast Guard sent Kim and five Samsung C&T officials to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office on charges of fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

The prosecution seized and searched the headquarters of Samsung C&T’s construction division in Sangil-dong, Gangdong-gu in November of last year, secured related materials such as construction cost details, and conducted an investigation by summoning suspects and references.

On the 29th of last month, the 4th detective division of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office (chief prosecutor Jo Man-rae) requested an arrest warrant for them.

The prosecution plans to expand its investigation into whether the company is involved in the case of systematic involvement.