CIO raids state audit agency over controversial audit during Yoon gov't

Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choe Jae-hae responds to lawmakers' questions during a National Assembly audit in Seoul, Oct. 16. Yonhap

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) raided the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), a state audit institution, on Thursday over a controversial audit conducted during former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration.

CIO prosecutors and investigators searched several BAI offices related to the allegations that former BAI chair Choe Jae-hae ordered a special audit targeting Jeon Hyun-heui, then chair of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), in 2022 to pressure her to resign.

Jeon, who was appointed to the ACRC by former liberal President Moon Jae-in, was reportedly under pressure to leave the commission during Yoon's conservative government. She is currently a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea(DPK).

The raid came after the CIO questioned Choe on Oct. 18 as a suspect in connection with charges of abuse of power.

The CIO suspects that Choe instructed a targeted audit against Jeon to force her to resign and asked the ACRC to submit various documents under the pretext of a special audit rather than a regular audit.

Indeed, the BAI carried out a special audit on Jeon in July 2022 over allegations of her habitual tardiness and favoritism granted to a former justice minister.

The BAI then released an audit report containing various allegations of Jeon's inappropriate behaviors in June 2023, including one that she had arrived at work after 9 a.m. on 83 of the 89 days she worked at the government complex in Sejong.

Jeon filed a complaint against Choe and another ranking BAI official with the CIO in December 2022, claiming the special audit was conducted on the basis of false information to pressure her to resign.