The CEO of IMS Mobility, accused of attracting investment requests from large corporations and financial companies by leveraging his relationship with Kim Keon-hee, the spouse of the former President Yoon Suk-yeol, along with private equity fund operators, appeared in court for a warrant review on the morning of the 2nd. The court is expected to decide on the issuance of the arrest warrant as early as that night.
Park Jeong-ho, Chief Judge of the Central District Court of Seoul, is conducting a pre-arraignment hearing for three individuals, including Jo Young-tak, CEO of IMS Mobility, and Mo Jae-yong, a director, as well as Min Kyung-min, CEO of OA Equity Partners, starting at 10:30 a.m. that morning.
Earlier, the Kim Keon-hee Special Investigation Committee filed for an arrest warrant against CEO Jo for approximately 3.2 billion won in violations of the Specific Economic Crimes Act (breach of trust), approximately 3.5 billion won in violations of the Specific Economic Crimes Act (embezzlement), violations of the External Audit Act, and for the allegation of evidence destruction. Arrest warrants were also requested for Director Mo on the charge of evidence destruction, and for CEO Min on the charge of approximately 3.2 billion won in violations of the Specific Economic Crimes Act (breach of trust).
The 'Housekeeper Gate' scandal involves IMS Mobility, which was established with the involvement of Kim Ye-seong, a close aide and housekeeper of Kim Keon-hee, who is accused of receiving an investment of 18.4 billion won from large corporations and financial companies, including Kakao Mobility, through OA Equity Partners.
OA Equity Partners, which raised the investment funds, reportedly used 4.6 billion won to acquire stocks of IMS Mobility held by a company named Innovest Korea. However, Innovest Korea is a company where Ms. Kim's wife, Jung Mo, serves as an inside director. The Special Investigation Committee suspects that she may be the actual owner of this company.
Additionally, IMS Mobility, where Ms. Kim served as a director, has been operating at a loss since its establishment in 2013. The companies that invested in this company in 2023 were under criminal investigation and faced legal risks. Related to this, suspicions were raised that Ms. Kim leveraged her relationship with Kim Keon-hee to resolve the risks, hoping to gain investments.