The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) announced today (September 23) that it has sent part of its audit records regarding the ballot paper shortage during the June 3 local elections and other related matters to the special counsel team investigating the National Election Commission as reference materials for investigation.

In a press release distributed to reporters today, the BAI stated, "In the course of processing the audit findings, we preemptively forwarded six cases deemed to require a swift investigation—involving obstruction of bidding, improper private contracts, and fraudulent inspections related to major election budget executions—to the special counsel as reference materials."

Following the ballot paper shortage during the local elections, the BAI previously launched an inspection into key allegations, including the budgeting and execution of election-related funds such as ballot printing and contracting. Between July 6 and August 28, it deployed 48 audit personnel to conduct an accounting audit.

The BAI, however, has not yet released its final audit results.

Explaining the reason for forwarding the audit materials before announcing the final results, the BAI said, "Considering that the special counsel investigating the election commission has been launched, the investigation is underway, and the inquiry period is limited to a maximum of 150 days, it is necessary to provide relevant materials in a timely manner."

The watchdog added, "Criminal charges for individual cases have not been finalized," noting, "Specific details will remain undisclosed in consideration of the relevant facts and the potential impact on future investigations."

The BAI stressed, "Separate from the criminal investigation, we plan to finalize the audit results as soon as possible, including sanctions against related vendors, holding responsible officials accountable, and reforming institutional frameworks across the board for the formulation and execution of election-related budgets."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)