Seoul:An appellate court has overturned a lower court's ruling, acquitting former President Yoon Suk Yeol of charges linked to receiving free opinion polls before the 2022 presidential election, which were alleged to violate the political funds law.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul High Court found Yoon not guilty of violating the Political Funds Act, which prohibits improper political donations. This decision reverses the previous conviction by the Seoul Central District Court in July, where Yoon had been sentenced to two years in prison.

Yoon was originally charged with colluding with his wife to receive 58 free opinion polls valued at approximately 270 million won (US$202,000) from Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, between April 2021 and March 2022. However, the appellate court ruled that these opinion polls did not constitute political donations under the law, as they did not provide a property benefit.

The court noted that while Myung's political advice might have had political benefits, it did not equate to a property benefit, making it difficult to classify as a political donation. Additionally, the court highlighted the absence of evidence proving any agreement between the former first couple and Myung for free opinion polls.

Myung, who faced similar charges and had been sentenced to 18 months in prison by the lower court, was also acquitted by the appellate court. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team had initially sought a four-year prison term for Yoon and a three-year term for Myung.

The ruling follows the acquittal of Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, on the same charges in her separate trials. She is currently awaiting a final decision from the Supreme Court.

Yoon remains involved in multiple criminal trials, including a conviction for life imprisonment in February for leading an insurrection through a martial law declaration. This case is under review at the appellate court.