Kanagawa prefectural police searched Kawasaki City Hall on Wednesday on suspicion of violating the Act on Prevention of Unfair Bidding, among other charges, in a case that has already led to the arrest of a 59-year-old city department chief, Kyodo News reported.
The man was arrested for allegedly leaking the price of construction work ordered by the city to a person connected to an industry group. Police have not said what the search turned up.
The arrest and the search point to ties between city officials and the trade groups that bid on Kawasaki's public works. The law the department chief is suspected of breaking — the Act on Prevention of Unfair Bidding — bars officials from passing on information about planned tenders to outside parties.
Police have not disclosed what the department chief is accused of receiving in return for the price information, or whether others at City Hall are under scrutiny.