Seoul’s police agency is under fire for trying to conceal evidence related to its alleged attempt to whitewash a probe into national intelligence officials.

Prosecutors believe the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s cyber crime unit deliberately erased investigation data of the National Intelligence Service’s illegal interference in the presidential election last December.

According to the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office, a head of the cyber unit, whose name was undisclosed, is currently under investigation over the use of anti-recovery software called “mooO.”

The program is designed to erase all recoverable data on computers. The official reportedly used it to format hard drives used for investigating the NIS case, the prosecutors said.

The announcement came after the prosecutors raided last week the Seoul Metropolitan Police as part of a widening probe into the NIS’ alleged politicking in the presidential election.

Although the SMPA is denying the allegations, the prosecution is looking into whether the NIS had any influence on the investigation.

“A computer where the data had been deleted did not contain any investigative records regarding the National Intelligence Service,” an SMPA official said, denying the prosecution’s accusations.

The cyber unit acquired the data from the Suseo Police Station during its investigation against the NIS officials last December to April.

An initial police investigation before the December election found no wrongdoing, but now police say at least two agents, including a 28-year-old employee surnamed Kim, conducted smear campaigns by making more than 100 posts using 16 IDs on websites to vilify then the opposition election candidates.

Rep. Shin Kyung-min of the Democratic Party blamed on Monday the ruling Saenuri Party’s reluctance for the sluggish progress of the prosecutor’s investigation.

“The rumor of NIS’ enforcement is becoming to be true. The ruling party should not remain silent about the issue,” he told a local radio station.

Lee Jeong-mi, spokeswoman of the minor opposition Progressive Justice Party, urged prosecutors to reveal high-rank officials linked into the case and punish them.

The prosecutor’s investigation captured headlines last month, when they summoned NIS former director Won Sei-hoon, and raided its Seoul headquarters.

The prosecutors also summoned recently Kim Yong-pan, the former chief of the SMPA.

Reports suggest that Won, who has been banned from leaving the country since the investigation began, could be summoned again for further questioning.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)