By Leonard Lim

LOCAL badminton officials yesterday defended their rehiring of a former staff member convicted of corruption.

They insisted that Zheng Qingjin was still the best man for the technical director's post, with his main task now to prepare Singapore's shuttlers for the 2012 Olympics.

Their defence comes in the wake of public criticism following a Sunday Times report about Zheng being rehired last Thursday to fill the same post he had abused to pocket bribes totalling $6,000.