Board of Audit and Inspection Official Faces Arrest Hearing Over 'Lenient' Presidential Residence Relocation Audit

A senior official at the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) is facing a potential arrest over allegations of conducting a "flawed and delayed" audit regarding the relocation of the presidential residence during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

Judge Lee Jong-rok of the Seoul Central District Court began the pre-arrest interrogation (warrant validity hearing) for the BAI official, identified by his surname Son, at 10:30 a.m. today (June 18) to determine the necessity of his detention.

The 2nd Special Prosecutor's team, led by Kwon Chang-young, requested an arrest warrant for Son on the 16th on charges including the fabrication of official documents.

Son, who served as the head of the audit team overseeing the presidential residence relocation, is accused of drafting a false report by manipulating evidence during the audit process.

The special prosecutor's team stated, "We have confirmed that audit evidence was fabricated and found circumstances suggesting that this content influenced the audit results," adding, "We requested the warrant after comprehensively considering the gravity of the crime and the risk of evidence destruction."

After his election, former President Yoon Suk Yeol relocated the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan and the presidential residence to the former official residence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The special prosecutor's team believes that '21gram,' a company lacking the proper qualifications for the construction, oversaw the entire project while using 'Wondam General Construction,' which held a general construction license, as a front to create the appearance of legality.

The special prosecutor's team suspects that the BAI also identified that 21gram was in charge of the overall construction during its audit but intentionally omitted this fact from the audit report, instead recording it as if 21gram had only handled the interior design work.

The audit was initiated after People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and other civic groups requested a public audit into the relocation allegations in October 2022.

In September 2024, about two years later, the BAI released its "Audit Report on Allegations of Illegalities Regarding the Relocation of the Presidential Office and Residence and the Use of Expenses."

The report stated that 21gram was selected as the interior contractor and that 21gram had requested Wondam General Construction, which was qualified for expansion work, to participate in the project.

In connection with this, the special prosecutor's team raided the BAI and the office of BAI Commissioner Yoo Byung-ho on the 14th of last month to secure relevant materials.

Since then, they have summoned BAI officials one after another to investigate the circumstances surrounding the drafting of the report and any instructions given.

The special prosecutor's team plans to accelerate its investigation into whether higher-level officials were involved once they secure Son's custody.

If the arrest is successful, the investigation into figures such as BAI Commissioner Yoo Byung-ho, who served as the Secretary-General of the BAI during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, is expected to gain momentum.

There is also speculation that depending on the outcome of the special prosecutor's investigation, an interrogation of former First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who is considered the "pinnacle" of the allegations, could take place.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.