The Supreme Court upheld a lower court acquittal of President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law on charges of helping establish a nursing home without a medical license and accepting billions of won in state subsidies.

In its decision on the case of medical law violation and fraud on Thursday, the top court said allegations that the defendent, surnamed Choi, had colluded to illegally run the facility have not been sufficiently proven.

In November 2020, Choi was indicted for allegedly opening the nursing facility in Paju, Gyeonggi Province with three others in 2013 without a medical license and taking two-point-three billion won in state subsidies for its operation until 2015.

Choi claimed that she had only lent funds to an acquaintance to run the facility and her name on the board of directors, and that she had not been involved in its management.

While a district court sentenced Choi to three years in prison last July, an appellate court overturned the conviction, citing lack of proof. Choi has been on trial without detention after being released on bail in September.

She is awaiting a separate appeals court ruling on charges of forging a proof of balance document while making a land purchase. A district court had initially sentenced her to one year in prison, but did not put her behind bars considering her confession, old age and poor health.