WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A U.S. judge threw out a  corruption verdict against former Republican Senator Ted  Stevens yesterday and ordered a criminal probe into “shocking”  Justice Department misconduct, in a blow to a legal system  marred by accusations of Bush administration abuses.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said prosecutors  deliberately withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense in  the Stevens case, despite repeated instructions and three civil  contempt citations.

Prosecutors have a duty to disclose such evidence whether  their cases involve “a public official, a private citizen or a  Guantanamo Bay detainee,” Sullivan said.

The ruling is another stain on the Justice Department which  was riven with accusations that it had become overly  politicized under former President George W. Bush and that it  violated people’s rights and bungled high-profile cases.