The comprehensive special counsel team announced today (the 7th) that it has indicted Yoo Byung-ho, a member of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), on detention over allegations of orchestrating a lenient audit regarding the relocation of the presidential residence.

Yoo faces charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights. The allegations center on suspicions that, while serving as the secretary-general of the BAI during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, he improperly intervened to scale down or conceal the audit results concerning the relocation of the presidential office and residence.

The special counsel team concluded that after taking office as the BAI secretary-general, Yoo seized control of the agency by mobilizing personnel and inspection powers, and abused his command and supervision authority as secretary-general to dismiss the residence audit upon requests from the Presidential Secretariat, the subject of the audit.

Specifically, the investigation revealed that around February and March 2023, Yoo instructed auditors to refrain from issuing official document requests for data submission to the Presidential Secretariat, conducting questionnaire surveys with Presidential Secretariat officials, and carrying out face-to-face interviews with contractor officials.

The special counsel team determined that these instructions contradicted the auditing methods Yoo usually emphasized and obstructed the auditors' independent exercise of their audit powers.

The special counsel team explained that working-level officials in charge of the residence audit at the BAI at the time intended to conduct the audit with suspicions surrounding the relocation process and had approached a significant portion of the truth, but it was confirmed that they withdrew attendance requests in accordance with Yoo's instructions.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol relocated the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan and the official residence to the former Foreign Minister's official residence after taking office.

Subsequently, various suspicions were raised surrounding the process of selecting construction contractors and construction costs, prompting People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and others to file for a public audit in October 2022, which led to the investigation.

After about two years of auditing, the BAI released an audit report in September 2024 regarding suspicions of illegality in the relocation of the presidential office and residence and the use of expenses.

However, the report did not specifically detail the circumstances surrounding the selection of construction contractors, sparking controversy over a "lenient audit."

Initially, the audit team had delivered relevant documents to conduct face-to-face interviews with officials from construction-related companies, including 21gram, but investigations showed that Yoo ordered these to be withdrawn and replaced with written inquiries.

It was also found that there were instructions to request data from the Presidential Secretariat verbally rather than through official documents, and to refrain from conducting face-to-face interviews with Presidential Secretariat officials.

Additionally, the BAI stated in its audit report that 21gram, an interior design contractor, requested Wondam General Construction, which holds a general construction license, to participate in the extension construction, leading to the project.

However, investigations revealed that 21gram oversaw the entire construction process, including the extension, rather than just the interior work.

By putting forward Wondam General Construction, which possessed a general construction license, to create a facade of legality, 21gram—which lacked the qualifications for the construction—actually took charge of and carried out all the work.

The special counsel team believes that the BAI also grasped these facts, but intentionally concealed them in the audit report and stated as if 21gram was only responsible for the interior design work.

(Photo: Yonhap News)