(3rd LD) Court acquits ex-President Yoon in power abuse case over envoy appointment

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(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with details, reactions from Yoon's lawyers, special counsel)

SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Friday acquitted former President Yoon Suk Yeol of charges of helping a former defense minister evade a criminal investigation by naming him ambassador to Australia in 2023.

The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon not guilty of multiple charges brought by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team, including aiding a criminal's flight and abuse of power.

The team had sought a five-year prison term for Yoon, accusing him of ordering the appointment of former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup as ambassador to Australia in November 2023 to help him evade an investigation into the alleged cover-up of a Marine's death earlier that year.

The special counsel team said it would decide whether to appeal after reviewing the ruling, while Yoon's lawyers welcomed the acquittal as an "extremely obvious" conclusion.

This file photo, taken Sept. 12, 2023, shows former President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup at the presidential office in central Seoul. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

The special counsel team argued during the trial that Yoon had sent Lee, a key suspect in the alleged cover-up case, abroad in a clear attempt to obstruct the investigation targeting his administration.

The suspected cover-up case faced intense public scrutiny at the time over allegations that Yoon had exerted pressure to alter the findings of a Marine inquiry into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun to clear a Marine commander of responsibility.

Chae died in July 2023 during an operation to rescue heavy rain victims in Yecheon, some 160 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Lee left for Australia in March 2024 but returned only days after due to the controversy.

The court, however, ruled that Yoon's instructions to appoint Lee could not be definitively seen as having intent to interfere with the investigation, noting that the former president had only learned of a travel ban against Lee in March 2024, months after he tapped the former defense minister as a new ambassador to Australia.

It said there is room to see the orders as a head of state exercising his authority over personnel decisions and could not be seen as "rashly" replacing the preceding ambassador with the former minister.

The court also acquitted five other former officials indicted in the case, including former National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae.

Yoon has been standing multiple trials in connection with his failed bid to impose martial law in 2024, his wife's alleged corruption and the case of the Marine's death.

The main trial on charges that he led an insurrection through his martial law bid is under way at an appellate court after a lower court sentenced him to life in prison in February.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (END)

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(3rd LD) Court acquits ex-President Yoon in power abuse case over envoy appointment

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（注意：本文将持续更新细节，并附有尹某律师和特别顾问的反应）

首尔，9月11日（韩联社）——首尔一家法院周五宣判前总统尹锡烈无罪，此前他被指控帮助一名前国防部长逃避刑事调查，任命其为2023年驻澳大利亚大使。

首尔中央地方法院裁定尹某不构成特别检察官李明铉团队提出的多项指控，包括协助罪犯潜逃和滥用职权。

该团队寻求判处尹某五年监禁，指控他于 2023 年 11 月下令任命前国防部长李钟燮为驻澳大利亚大使，以帮助他逃避对当年早些时候一名海军陆战队员死亡事件涉嫌掩盖的调查。

特别检察官团队表示，将在审查裁决后决定是否上诉，而尹某的律师则对无罪判决表示欢迎，认为这是一个“显而易见”的结论。

这张摄于2023年9月12日的资料照片显示，韩国前总统尹锡烈（左）和前国防部长李钟燮在首尔市中心的总统府。（联社照片）（韩联社）

特别检察官小组在审判中辩称，尹锡悦将涉嫌掩盖真相案的关键嫌疑人李光耀派往国外，显然是为了阻挠针对其政府的调查。

当时，这起涉嫌掩盖真相的案件受到了公众的密切关注，因为有指控称尹某施压，要求改变海军陆战队对下士蔡秀根死亡事件的调查结果，以免除一名海军陆战队指挥官的责任。

蔡某于2023年7月在首尔东南约160公里处的邺川市参与救援暴雨灾民的行动中殉职。李某于2024年3月前往澳大利亚，但几天后因争议而返回韩国。

然而，法院裁定，不能断然认为尹锡悦任命李光耀的指示意在干预调查，并指出这位前总统直到 2024 年 3 月才得知针对李光耀的旅行禁令，而就在几个月前，他才任命这位前国防部长为驻澳大利亚大使。

声明称，这些命令可以理解为国家元首行使人事决定权，不能被视为“草率地”用前任部长取代前任大使。

法院还宣判该案中被起诉的其他五名前官员无罪，其中包括前国家安全顾问赵泰镛和前法务部长朴成宰。

尹锡悦因试图在 2024 年实施戒严令失败、其妻子涉嫌腐败以及海军陆战队员死亡案而面临多项审判。

2月份，下级法院判处他终身监禁，目前，他因涉嫌通过实施戒严令领导叛乱而接受上诉法院的主要审判正在进行中。

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (完)

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民调显示，李光耀的支持率跌至就任以来的最低点。

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（第三条）法院宣判前总统尹锡悦在特使任命案中滥用职权罪名不成立