Seoul: A local court dismissed Wednesday a warrant request to arrest the elder brother of former first lady Kim Keon Hee over his alleged evasion of development fees for an apartment construction project a decade ago.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Central District Court turned down the request made by special counsel Min Joong-ki's team, which is currently investigating various allegations involving the ex-first lady. These allegations include corruption charges, her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, and meddling in candidate nominations for elections.

The brother, Kim Jin-woo, and his mother, Choi Eun-soon, are accused of falsifying documents for the 350-unit apartment project in Yangpyeong, east of Seoul. The project, conducted from 2011 to 2016, allegedly involved underreporting profits to reduce the development fees owed, causing losses to state coffers. The mother and son led the developer, ESI and D, in turns.

In addition to these charges, Kim is accused of concealing various expensive items that his sister, the former first lady, allegedly received as bribes at his family's home.

The Seoul court, in its decision, stated, "It is difficult to conclude that the primary charge (against Kim) has been sufficiently substantiated," citing reasons for rejecting the warrant request. The court further noted, "It is also hard to deem a risk of evidence destruction or flight."

The special counsel team had previously decided to investigate Choi without physical detention, taking into account her level of involvement in the alleged crimes and her relationship to Kim. Both suspects were questioned by the team on two occasions earlier this month and reportedly denied most of the allegations.