(LEAD) Court acquits ex-President Yoon in power abuse case over envoy appointment

(LEAD) ex-president-trial

▲ 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)

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with ruling; CHANGES headline, lead)

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 delivered the verdict after special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon indicted Yoon on charges of aiding a criminal's flight and abuse of power. Lee's team had sought a five-year prison sentence for Yoon.

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