A Seoul court has found former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae not guilty on more than 40 charges against him, mostly related to abuse of judiciary power. 
 
The Seoul Central District Court on Friday rendered its verdict on Yang, who was indicted in February 2019 on 47 charges as a central figure in the judiciary power abuse scandal during the Park Geun-hye administration. 
 
The court said that there is no evidence to prove allegations that Yang masterminded a delay in the deliberation of a damages suit filed by the Korean victims of colonial-era forced labor by the Japanese government.
  
As the Park administration sought amicable relations with Tokyo, Yang was accused of having used pending trials as bargaining chips in dealings with former President Park in order to campaign for his bid to establish a new court of appeals.
 
The case marked the first time in South Korea's constitutional history that the head of the judiciary was arrested.

Yang, who headed the top court from 2011 to 2017, paid tribute to the court for clearly issuing its ruling.