Former President Park Geun-hye could face 45 years in prison

South Korea's ousted president, Park Geun-hye, faces 13 corruption charges and could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Photo: Korea Times

Prosecutors plan to indict former South Korean President Park Geun-hye after reviewing 13 corruption charges against her. The most serious charge is that she colluded with her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil to receive huge bribes from conglomerates, including Samsung, according to the Korea Times.

Park Beom-kye, a lawmaker from the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, wrote on Facebook that "Ms. Park could face 30 years in prison for that and if other charges are added, the sentence could go up to 45 years in prison."

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested last month on bribery charges, including giving 7.8 billion won ($6.82 million) to Choi's front company, Core Sports, in exchange for business benefits.

On March 10, the Constitutional Court of South Korea ruled to remove Park from office. In addition to corruption, Park was also accused of allowing close friends to interfere in state affairs, neglecting her responsibilities in the 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people, suppressing artists who opposed her, abusing her power, and deliberately firing officials who opposed her.

According to VNE