Central Election Commission [사진 제공: 연합뉴스]
The National Election Commission has submitted an opinion to the National Assembly that the law should be amended to prevent the so-called ‘election cost scam’ where election subsidies are not returned even after the election is finalized.
In today’s ‘Report on Current Issues for Revision of the Political Relations Act’, the National Election Commission stated, “In relation to Article 265-2 of the Public Official Election Act, there are cases in which people whose elections have been invalidated do not return their maintenance expenses and deposits, so it is necessary to come up with a plan to secure effectiveness.” The contents were submitted to the Special Committee on Political Reform of the National Assembly.
Under the current law, if a person is sentenced to a fine of 1 million won or more, equivalent to invalidating the election for violating the Public Official Election Act, he/she must refund the entire election expenses.
However, taking advantage of the fact that it is difficult to collect additional money if the property is concealed, cases have been consistently pointed out in which deposits and security money are not returned even after being sentenced to invalidation of the election.
In order to prevent this, the National Election Commission has proposed a revision opinion that, if indicted by the National Election Commission or charged with an election crime that could invalidate the election, the deposit and election compensation should be deferred and paid after a non-prosecution or acquittal.
In addition, it was proposed to disclose personal information in case a person whose election was invalidated after receiving compensation for the election expenses does not return the deposit and election compensation money.