Gwangju Mayor’s Office Raided Over Bidding Scandal

South Korean prosecutors have raided the offices of the Gwangju Mayor, overnight sale Kang Un-tae, medic over allegations he forged the Prime Minister’s and Culture Minister’s signatures in the paperwork to host the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships.

Gwangju was awarded the 2019 event in July, but now investigators from the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office have seized a number of documents to see if Kang forged Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and former Culture Minister Choe Kwang-sik’s signatures.

Kim Yoon-suk, the event’s Bid Committee secretary general, also saw her residential property raided and both Kang and Kim are expected to be questioned formally later this month.

Kang has denied any wrong-doing and said a low-ranking official is to blame.

The forgery scandal was uncovered the day before the vote but Gwangju was still awarded the tournament.

FINA has yet to comment on the latest developments.