Former Audit Officials Indicted for Fabricating Report on Presidential Residence Relocation

A special prosecutor's team has indicted former officials from the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) on charges of fabricating an audit report to suppress suspicions surrounding the relocation of the presidential residence. The investigation centers on allegations that the BAI's audit process was manipulated to shield individuals and entities involved.

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After the Audit Committee decided to postpone the resolution of the audit report related to the residence relocation in May 2024, the chairman instructed to resolve the suspicion that 21 Gram was entirely in charge of the residence construction through face-to-face interviews with related parties.

Former BAI Administrative Safety Audit Director 'A' and former Section Chief 'B' were indicted on charges including abuse of power, obstruction of official duties, and falsification of official documents. Prosecutors allege that despite instructions from the BAI chairman to investigate suspicions that the company '21 Gram' handled the entire residence construction, 'A' and 'B' prepared a report that mirrored earlier conclusions before the investigation even began.

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The accused distorted evidence and statements to maintain the existing conclusion, thereby fabricating the audit report.

Further allegations suggest that 'A' instructed the exclusion of parts of the audit report concerning '21 Gram's' potential violation of the Construction Industry Basic Act. 'B' is accused of creating and registering false question-and-answer documents and confirmations on the electronic audit system in July 2024, which did not align with the actual testimonies of '21 Gram's' CEO and site manager.

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Director 'A' is also accused of ordering the exclusion of parts related to 21 Gram's violation of Article 16, Paragraph 1 of the Construction Industry Basic Act from the audit report.

This development is part of a broader investigation into the alleged cover-up. BAI Audit Commissioner Yoo Byeong-ho was previously arrested and indicted on August 8th for similar offenses. Yoo is accused of instructing a written-only investigation of '21 Gram,' a company linked to an acquaintance of first lady Kim Keon-hee, after receiving a request from the presidential office's public integrity inspection division. He also allegedly prohibited the BAI from sending data requests to the presidential office and from conducting face-to-face interviews with presidential office staff.

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Section Chief 'B' created question-and-answer documents and confirmations that differed from the actual statements of the 21 Gram CEO and site manager and registered them on the electronic audit system in July 2024.