The Supreme Court has partially reversed and remanded a lower court ruling that acquitted a former presidential aide of interfering in the establishment and activities of the Sewol ferry disaster investigation panel.

In its decision on Thursday, the top court remanded the case of power abuse and obstruction of exercising another’s right against Cho Yoon-sun, a senior presidential secretary for political affairs during the former Park Geun-hye administration, to the Seoul High Court.

While partially recognizing the acquittal, the top court said that ordering a report on the government’s response to preparations for the committee's launch could be considered an abuse of authority that forced subordinates to perform tasks outside their official duty.

The court said that officials who were given such orders were obligated by their position at the time to guarantee the committee's political neutrality, independence and objectivity.

After the first court convicted Cho of interfering and handed down a one-year sentence, suspended for two years, an appellate court reversed the ruling, exonerating the former aide.

The case for former vice fisheries minister Yoon Hak-bae, who was slapped with a six-month prison term, suspended for two years, was also remanded for similar reasons.

Meanwhile, acquittals of former presidential chief of staff Lee Byung-kee, former fisheries minister Kim Young-seok, and former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs Ahn Jong-beom, on similar charges were upheld by the top court.