South Korean court acquits ex-Supreme Court chief justice of 47 charges

A South Korean court on Friday acquitted former Supreme Court Chief Justice, Yang Sung-tae, of all 47 charges related to his alleged abuse of judiciary power.

This includes allegations he unfairly influenced politically sensitive trials under ousted former President Park Geun-hye.

The Seoul Central District Court also acquitted two other former Supreme Court justices, Park Byong-dae and Ko Young-han, who were indicted in the same case.

“I express my respect for the court, which ruled clearly on an obvious case,” Yang said as he left the court after the ruling.

Yang, who headed the top court from 2011 to 2017, was accused of having used trials as bargaining chips in dealings with the Park administration to promote his bid to establish a court of appeals.

He was also suspected of having pressed subordinates at the National Court Administration, the top court’s governing body, to devise plans to influence politically sensitive trials for Park.

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It included a compensation suit pursued by victims of Japan’s wartime forced labour.

Prosecutors had demanded prison terms of seven years for Yang, five years for Park and four years for Ko.

The court said most of the charges against some of Yang’s subordinates, including those of abuse of power, could not be proven, and even if they were found partially guilty.

The evidence submitted by the prosecution was insufficient to prove Yang colluded with them.

The former chief justice was indicted under arrest in February 2019 over his suspected role in the power abuse scandal.

He was released on bail in July that year following 179 days of detention.

The sentencing hearing lasted an unusually long four and half hours, due to the vast number of charges involved, and was even adjourned for a 10-minute break.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it planned to thoroughly study the details of the ruling before deciding whether to appeal.

Yang was the first chief justice ever to have been arrested as a criminal suspect. 

South Korean court acquits ex-Supreme Court chief justice of 47 charges

Court convicts Lagos bishop of raping  assistant pastor

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Friday convicted a Lagos bishop, Oluwafeyiropo Daniels, of raping his 23-year-old assistant (name withheld).

Justice Rahman Oshodi found Daniels,  the Bishop of I Reign Christian Ministry, guilty of count one of a rape charge preferred against him by Lagos State Government.

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Oshodi held that prosecution  established the ingredients of the offence.

According to him, Daniels is a liar and does not have any regard for truth.

The judge, however, discharged and acquitted him on the count two of the charge, which is rape of another member of the church (name withheld).

Oshodi held  that there was an element of consent from the church member.

The reports gathered that the judgment was still ongoing as at the time of this report.

Daniels faced an amended four-count charge  bordering on rape, attempted rape and sexual assault. 

Court convicts Lagos bishop of raping  assistant pastor

Court orders arrest of mother of twins for contempt

The judge, Malam Anass Khalifa, had ordered Aliyu to present the children in court for their father to see them.

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He gave the order after Aliyu’s Lawyer, Hassan Sulaiman, raised a preliminary objection that the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the child custody case.

Sulaiman told the court that he wasn’t aware that a copy of appeal was not submitted as well as the reason why the complainant refused to present the children in court as ordered during the last haering.

Earlier, the defendant, Umar Sulaiman, who is an ex husband to the complainant told the court that he had not been given access to his children for a year.

The reports gathered that in 2022, court had granted Aliyu custody of two children aged three with the condition that they spend Sallah holidays with their father.

The court had also ordered that the father should be allowed to see his children when the need arise, an order which the complainant disobeyed.

Court orders arrest of mother of twins for contempt