A Seoul appellate court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling that found Lee Young-ryeol, a former chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, not guilty of corruption.
The Seoul High Court handed down the decision on Lee, 60, who was indicted for violating the anti-graft law, which mainly bans exchanges of gifts between public officials and those with ties to them.
He was accused of giving free meals and money to his subordinates during a dinner early last year. He provided each of the two officials with 1 million won ($920) in cash and a meal worth 95,000 won. Lee was dismissed as chief later in June over the scandal.