A court on Friday acquitted former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae of all 47 charges related to his alleged abuse of judiciary power, including allegations he unfairly influenced politically sensitive trials under ousted former President Park Geun-hye.

The Seoul Central District Court also acquitted two other former Supreme Court justices, Park Byong-dae and Ko Young-han, who were indicted in the same case.

Yang, who headed the top court from 2011-17, was accused of having used trials as bargaining chips in dealings with the Park administration to promote his bid to establish a court of appeals.

He was also suspected of having pressed subordinates at the National Court Administration, the top court’s governing body, to devise plans to influence politically sensitive trials for Park, including a compensation suit pursued by victims of Japan’s wartime forced labor.

Prosecutors had demanded prison terms of seven years for Yang, five years for Park and four years for Ko.

The court said some of Yan
g’s subordinates could be guilty of abuse of power, but the evidence submitted by the prosecution was insufficient to prove Yang colluded with them.

The former chief justice was released on bail in July 2019 following 179 days of detention over his suspected role in the power abuse scandal. Yang is the first chief justice ever to have been arrested as a criminal suspect.

Source: Yonhap News Agency