A former senior judge was arrested early Saturday for his alleged role in the abuse of judicial rights perpetrated under the previous Park Geun-hye administration.

The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Lim Jong-hun, former deputy head of the National Court Administration, saying that most of his charges have been acknowledged.

The court said Lim presents a risk of destroying evidence, given his status and the role he played.

With his arrest, the investigation is expected to pick up speed and target more senior figures, including former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae.

Investigators looking into the judicial power abuse scandal believe that Lim was involved in most allegations of intervening in trials in return for favors from the Park Geun-hye administration, surveillance of judges and misuse of funds while serving at the National Court Administration between 2012 and 2017.

Among the trials in which Lim is alleged to have intervened are a compensation case for Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor and a case involving a progressive teachers union.