First Verdict on Judicial Farming Scandal... Yoo Haeyong 'Not Guilty'

Acquitted Due to 'Insufficient Evidence' in Document Leak Case
Partial Impact Expected on Former Deputy Chief Im Jongheon’s Trial
Yang Seungtae Trial Delayed... 200 Witnesses to Be Summoned

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The court's first ruling related to judicial corruption was 'not guilty.' On the morning of the 13th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 28 (Chief Judge Namcheon Park) acquitted former Supreme Court Senior Judicial Researcher Haeyong Yoo, who was indicted on charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

This is the court's first ruling on former and current judges who were prosecuted over judicial corruption allegations for five months starting from November 2018. A total of 14 former and current judges were indicted in connection with the judicial corruption allegations, including former Supreme Court Chief Justice Seungtae Yang, former Supreme Court Justices Byungdae Park and Younghan Ko, and former Deputy Director of the Court Administration Office Jongheon Lim. Former Senior Judicial Researcher Yoo was one of the 10 former and current judges additionally indicted in March last year.

In the ruling, the court explained, "Based on the submitted evidence alone, it is difficult to recognize that the defendant ordered the preparation of documents or conspired with accomplices." Regarding the allegation of document leakage, the court also stated, "There is no evidence to acknowledge that files were leaked." This means that the evidence supporting the prosecution's charges is insufficient.

Previously, former Senior Judicial Researcher Yoo was prosecuted on charges of conspiring with former Deputy Director of the Court Administration Office Jongheon Lim to have subordinate researchers prepare documents identifying information related to lawsuits involving Park Chaeyoon, a close aide of former President Park Geun-hye. He was also accused of taking reports prepared by junior judicial researchers on a portable storage device (USB) when he left the court in early 2018. He has been on trial without detention since the court dismissed the arrest warrant requested by the prosecution in September 2018.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The ruling on this day represents only a very small part of the judicial corruption case trials. The judicial corruption case, which first surfaced in 2017, involves allegations that former Chief Justice Seungtae Yang, during his term, illegally lobbied the executive and legislative branches through the Court Administration Office to introduce a high-level appellate court and exerted external pressure by surveilling the entire legal community. More than 50 judges were summoned one after another, and an unprecedented constitutional crisis occurred with the arrest of the Chief Justice. The number of judges prosecuted reached 14, including former Chief Justice Yang.

Trials for these individuals began early last year but have yet to conclude. There have been frequent hearings two to three times a week, often continuing late into the night, but due to the vast amount of materials, the process is still far from over. Besides former Senior Judicial Researcher Yoo, who was sentenced on this day, only former Seoul High Court Chief Judge Seonggeun Lim has a sentencing date scheduled, set for the 14th of next month.

The trials of former Chief Justice Yang and former Deputy Director Lim, who are central figures in the judicial corruption case, are particularly slow. In 2023 alone, 53 hearings were held for former Chief Justice Yang’s trial, with witness examinations continuing for half a year. It is known that more than 200 witnesses still need to be called. Recently, the trial was postponed due to former Chief Justice Yang undergoing lung cancer surgery. It is said that the first trial verdict will only be possible next year. The first trial for former Deputy Director Lim has been stalled for seven months. In June last year, he filed a motion to disqualify the first trial court, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 36 (Chief Judge Jongseop Yoon), and since then, the motion has been repeatedly dismissed and appealed, currently pending at the Supreme Court. However, in the case of former Deputy Director Lim, the acquittal of former Senior Judicial Researcher Yoo, who was suspected as an accomplice, is expected to have some influence on future trials.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.