The prosecution, currently investigating allegations of illegal support during the overseas relocation of Dahye, the daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, and her family, is reported to have recently conducted a search and seizure at the Board of Audit and Inspection.
According to the legal community on the 3rd, the Criminal Division 3 of Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Han Yeon-gyu) conducted a search and seizure at the Board of Audit and Inspection in Jongno-gu, Seoul last month, securing documents and other evidence.
This search and seizure by the prosecution is understood to be aimed at examining whether there was any illegality behind the Board of Audit and Inspection's dismissal of a public interest audit request related to Dahye in June 2019.
At that time, 1,795 petitioners, including Gwak Sang-do, a member of the Liberty Korea Party (predecessor of the People Power Party), requested a public interest audit from the Board of Audit and Inspection, alleging that "there is suspicion that the government supported Dahye's family's relocation to Thailand."
The petition included ▲ the actual increase in security budget and personnel due to the president's daughter's family's overseas relocation ▲ reasons for the prior gift and subsequent sale between the president's daughter and her husband regarding the Gugi-dong villa transaction ▲ circumstances under which the Gugi-dong villa was sold at a price higher than the market price despite being a quick sale. Additionally, it requested an audit of the increase in borrowings of the company where Moon's former son-in-law, Seo, worked.
However, the Advisory Committee on Public Interest Audit of the Board of Audit and Inspection decided not to audit this matter after a meeting. The advisory committee judged that the matters such as the gift of the Gugi-dong villa between Dahye and her husband and the increase in borrowings of the company where the former president's son-in-law worked were private rights and thus not subject to audit under the 'Board of Audit and Inspection Act' and related laws. Furthermore, regarding whether government agencies facilitated the export declaration of Dahye's family's moving goods and the scale of overseas asset transfers, the committee opined that it was difficult to consider it a subject of public interest audit as it falls under cases seeking information about specific individuals' rights and obligations or personal privacy.
Regarding the increase in security budget and personnel and whether government agencies provided convenience during the overseas relocation process, it was also judged that "there is no basis to consider the handling of public institution affairs illegal or improper."
The Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office has detected circumstances indicating that Dahye engaged in financial transactions with some Blue House officials at the time of her relocation to Thailand and is focusing on clarifying the nature of these transactions. They are also investigating the circumstances under which her husband, Seo, was employed as an executive director at Thai Starjet.
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