Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye sentenced to 25 years in prison
(Baonghean.vn) - An appeals court in Seoul on August 24 increased the sentence of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye by one year in a major corruption case that led to her removal from office last year.
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| Ms. Park Geun-hye arrives at court in Seoul, South Korea on August 25, 2017. Photo: Reuters |
According to Yonhap, the Seoul High Court sentenced Ms. Park, 66 years old, to 25 years in prison and ordered her to pay a fine of 20 billion won (equivalent to 17.8 million USD).
Previously, on April 6, Ms. Park was sentenced by a lower court to 24 years in prison and a fine of 18 billion won for colluding with her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil to force large corporations, including Samsung, to donate 77.4 billion won to two foundations under Ms. Choi's control.
The scandal led to Park's impeachment, which was later formally dismissed by the country's Constitutional Court in March 2017.
Prosecutors reserved their view on requesting a 30-year prison sentence and a 118.5 billion won fine for Ms. Park on July 20.
The court will also soon deliver its verdict on Choi and Ahn Jong-beom, Park's former chief policy adviser, who were sentenced to 20 years and six years in prison, respectively.
Park was not present at the hearing on the morning of August 24. The former South Korean president has boycotted what she calls “politically motivated” proceedings since last October, when the court extended her pretrial detention.
She has criticized the judiciary and prosecutors for not handling her case fairly.
The August 24 trial was not broadcast live on television, unlike the previous sentencing hearing in a lower court.
