The Minnesota House approved the measure by a vote of 126-5, with bipartisan backing from Republicans and Democrats. The legislation now heads to the state Senate and is expected to be signed by Governor Tim Walz, who has publicly indicated support for the proposal.

Under the legislation, the Office of the Inspector General, or OIG, would begin operating immediately, with broader enforcement authority scheduled to phase in by 2028. Lawmakers backing the bill said the agency would investigate corruption and misuse of public funds across state programs.

Republican state Representative Kristin Robbins, who chairs the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Oversight Committee, said the new office would strengthen ongoing investigations into alleged fraud schemes linked to state-administered welfare and pandemic relief programs.

The legislation comes amid heightened political and legal scrutiny of fraud cases involving organizations connected to Minnesota’s Somali-American community, the largest Somali diaspora population in the United States.

Federal prosecutors and U.S. President Donald Trump have alleged that more than $9 billion may have been improperly obtained through social service fraud schemes in Minnesota involving federal and state welfare funding distributed since 2018.

One of the most prominent cases centers on the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which administered federally funded meal reimbursement programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors said defendants created shell companies and fictitious meal distribution sites, submitting falsified meal counts to the Minnesota Department of Education to secure inflated reimbursements.

Former Feeding Our Future executive director Aimee Bock was found guilty of wire fraud and bribery charges, according to court proceedings cited by lawmakers.Authorities have charged 79 individuals, most of them Somali Americans, in connection with schemes allegedly involving more than $250 million in fraudulent grant claims tied to child nutrition and welfare programs.

Robbins’ committee recently subpoenaed Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar to testify regarding allegations that she assisted entities accused of abusing federal and state funds. Omar has not complied with the subpoena, according to committee officials.

The investigations have intensified debate in Minnesota over oversight of pandemic-era aid programs and the effectiveness of state controls governing the distribution of federal welfare funding.

Kim, the wife of jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol, had initially been sentenced in January to 20 months in prison for bribery but was cleared of allegations that she helped manipulate stock prices and of several other charges.Both Kim and prosecutors appealed the ruling, with Kim seeking to clear her name and prosecutors arguing that the sentence was too lenient and that the acquittals were unjustified.

The Seoul High Court ruled on Tuesday that Kim had participated in manipulating the share price of Deutsch Motors, a South Korean car dealer, describing the activity as a “collusive trading act constituting market manipulation.”“The defendant appears to have participated in such conduct,” the court said in its televised judgment.

The court sentenced Kim to four years in prison and imposed a fine of 50 million won ($34,000), significantly increasing the punishment from the original trial.It also upheld her bribery conviction, ruling that her conduct had undermined confidence in government integrity.

“As a result of her accepting bribes, public trust in the transparency of state affairs and the fair execution of national policy was undermined,” the court said.Judges added that Kim had failed to accept responsibility and had instead “consistently resorted to excuses,” though they noted her lack of any prior criminal record in determining the sentence.

Kim, 53, appeared in court wearing a white face mask and kept her head lowered as the verdict was delivered.Her legal team told AFP they would appeal the decision to South Korea’s Supreme Court.Kim remained one of the most controversial public figures during Yoon’s presidency, with repeated scandals often overshadowing his administration.

In 2023, secretly recorded footage appeared to show her accepting a luxury Dior handbag, intensifying political backlash and contributing to falling approval ratings for Yoon’s government.The controversy was widely seen as a factor in the ruling party’s defeat in the April 2024 parliamentary elections, where it failed to regain a legislative majority.

Yoon later vetoed three opposition-backed bills seeking investigations into allegations surrounding Kim, including the Dior handbag case, with his final veto issued in November 2024.One week later, he declared martial law, a move that failed and triggered his impeachment, removal from office and eventual sentencing in February this year to life imprisonment for insurrection.

Yoon has appealed that conviction, saying his martial law declaration was made “solely for the sake of the nation.”Another appeal verdict related to his separate five-year sentence for obstruction of justice and other crimes connected to the declaration is expected on Wednesday.

Kim’s bribery case also implicated Han Hak-ja, leader of the Unification Church, who is accused of providing luxury gifts including two Chanel handbags and a Graff necklace.The court ruled Tuesday that all three items constituted bribes.

In the lower court’s January ruling, one of the handbags had not been classified as a bribe because it was allegedly gifted before Yoon’s presidential inauguration.

Han, 83, is standing trial on bribery and other charges and is currently receiving medical treatment after being temporarily released from custody.