Judgment Confirmed: 'Shin Gwang-ryeol, Jo Ui-yeon, Seong Chang-ho' Acquitted in Judicial Scandal Allegations

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Supreme Court has acquitted the sitting judges who were prosecuted on suspicion of 'judicial farming' during the tenure of former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae. They were accused of leaking warrant requests and investigation records submitted to the court during the 2016 'Jung Un-ho Gate' to the Court Administration Office.

On the 25th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Cheon Dae-yeop) dismissed the prosecution's appeal and upheld the lower court's ruling of not guilty in the final appeal hearing of former Senior Criminal Chief Judge Shin Gwang-ryeol of the Seoul Central District Court and former warrant-specialized judges Jo Ui-yeon and Seong Chang-ho.

They were accused of collecting information on the prosecution's investigation status and future plans through warrant case records to obstruct investigations targeting judges during the 'Jung Un-ho Gate' and reporting it to former Deputy Director Lim Jong-heon of the Court Administration Office. At the time of the incident, Shin was the Senior Criminal Chief Judge of the Seoul Central District Court, and Jo and Seong were warrant-specialized judges. The prosecution viewed that they leaked investigation secrets systematically under the direction of the Court Administration Office to prevent the expansion of investigations into the judiciary.

However, both the first and second trials acquitted them. The first trial stated, "Although it appears that former Senior Chief Judge Shin requested detailed reports from Judges Jo and Seong in response to the emergence of corruption among current and former judges, it is difficult to recognize that the defendants conspired in advance to leak information obtained through warrant trials to the outside." The second trial also acquitted them, stating, "Former Senior Chief Judge Shin reported to former Deputy Director Lim through normal channels and procedures, and Lim used the information for appropriate purposes."

On this day, the Supreme Court also ruled that their actions did not constitute leaking secrets. The court stated, "There are no special circumstances to believe that the public officials who received the secrets would leak them to a third party unrelated to their official duties, causing risks to national functions."

Meanwhile, including former Senior Chief Judge Shin, a total of 14 current and former judges have been indicted in connection with the judicial farming suspicion. Former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae and former Deputy Director Lim are undergoing first trial proceedings, while most of the other current and former judges, including former Judge Im Seong-geun, who became the first judge subject to impeachment in constitutional history, and former Seoul Western District Court Chief Judge Lee Tae-jong, who was accused of leaking warrant contents, have been acquitted up to the second trial.

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