Police have decided to refer President Yoon Suk Yeol's brother-in-law to the prosecution in a corruption case involving a company founded by Yoon's mother-in-law. 

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police announced Friday that it plans to refer to the prosecution five officials related to the developer ESI&D, including Yoon’s brother-in-law, surnamed Kim, for fabricating documents and submitting them to local authorities. ESI&D was founded by Yoon’s mother-in-law in Yangpyeong County in Gyeonggi Province.

The police will also refer three employees of Yangpyeong County to the prosecution on related charges.

Kim, who is regarded to be the de facto owner of ESI&D, is suspected of submitting false data in documentary evidence related to construction costs in 2016 in a bid to pay less development charges imposed by Yangpyeong County. 

Developers are obligated to pay such charges to local governments from profits they gain from development projects. 

Police believe Kim and the four other ESI&D-related officials fabricated papers to make it appear as if the company had gained little profit from the construction of an apartment complex in the county’s Gongheung area between 2011 and 2016 in order to reduce the development charges.

Meanwhile, the police decided not to refer to prosecutors the president’s mother-in-law and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who had previously served as an in-house director of the company. Police said they had found no evidence suggesting that the two women were involved in the said development project.