A special committee looking into the April 2014 Sewol ferry disaster concluded its 14-month probe and unveiled its findings on Tuesday.

In a briefing at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the committee said a court ruling is set to come out on February 15 for eleven figures it indicted in February last year on charges of professional negligence resulting in death. 

These figures were in the Coast Guard commanding ranks at the time of the tragic sinking and include former Coast Guard chief Kim Suk-kyoon. 

However, the committee said it does not believe the officials can be held accountable for allegations that the Coast Guard failed to swiftly rescue a student in the water by mobilizing a boat instead of a helicopter. 

The committee went on to say that nine figures, including former Presidential Chief of Staff Lee Byung-kee, are on trial for charges of abuse of authority with regard to suspicions they disrupted the committee’s investigation. The committee indicted these figures without physical detention last May.

The committee, however, cleared former President Park Geun-hye and her former chief of staff, Kim Ki-choon, as well as officials of the now-defunct Defense Security Command of allegations that the command and National Intelligence Service illegally monitored the victims’ bereaved families.

The committee also said it found no evidence supporting allegations that the Justice Ministry pressured the prosecution when it was investigating the ferry sinking.

Nor did it find that former presidential secretary for civil affairs Woo Byung-woo and former Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn abused their power to block an investigation into the Park Geun-hye government's mishandling of the ferry tragedy. 

On suspicions that security camera footage from the ferry was tampered with, the committee said it has reserved judgement on the matter given that an independent counsel is set to look into it.