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Seoul: South Korea’s highest court on Thursday upheld the 20-year prison sentence of disgraced former president Park Geun Hye, the country’s first female leader, for abuse of power and other crimes, ending a long-running legal battle. The Supreme Court in Seoul rejected an appeal by the prosecution against a reduced prison term decided in July. Prosecutors had been seeking for an earlier sentence of 30 years to be reinstated. Thursday’s ruling marks the final decision in the corruption case of 68-year-old Park, who was forced from office by the Constitutional Court and arrested in 2017.
The court also upheld a fine of 18 billion won (16.4 million dollars).
She was indicted for corruption and abuse of power, as well as bribery in a separate case, following a wide-ranging scandal that deeply divided the country, with protesters taking to the streets again and again over many weeks. The cases were later combined.
She has only been able to leave prison since 2019 for medical treatment.
The daughter of military dictator Park Chung Hee, Park was accused of allowing her close friend Choi Soon Sil too much access to government business - Choi held no official post - and of helping her friend to extort money from top companies including Samsung.
She was convicted in a separate trial for taking advantage of her office and also sentenced to five years in prison. She is said to have illegally accepted large sums from the secret service.
After Thursday’s ruling and including the additional sentence, Park now still has 22 years of prison time to serve.
Park has always denied the accusations against her, arguing that they were politically motivated.
Park’s predecessor Lee Myung Bak is also serving a long prison sentence for corruption. Last October, the Supreme Court upheld a 17-year sentence.
Most recently, the ruling Democratic Party brought up pardoning both ex-heads of state, but President Moon Jae In has yet to publicly comment on the possibility. Such an act would be highly controversial. (dpa)
The court also upheld a fine of 18 billion won (16.4 million dollars).
She was indicted for corruption and abuse of power, as well as bribery in a separate case, following a wide-ranging scandal that deeply divided the country, with protesters taking to the streets again and again over many weeks. The cases were later combined.
She has only been able to leave prison since 2019 for medical treatment.
The daughter of military dictator Park Chung Hee, Park was accused of allowing her close friend Choi Soon Sil too much access to government business - Choi held no official post - and of helping her friend to extort money from top companies including Samsung.
She was convicted in a separate trial for taking advantage of her office and also sentenced to five years in prison. She is said to have illegally accepted large sums from the secret service.
After Thursday’s ruling and including the additional sentence, Park now still has 22 years of prison time to serve.
Park has always denied the accusations against her, arguing that they were politically motivated.
Park’s predecessor Lee Myung Bak is also serving a long prison sentence for corruption. Last October, the Supreme Court upheld a 17-year sentence.
Most recently, the ruling Democratic Party brought up pardoning both ex-heads of state, but President Moon Jae In has yet to publicly comment on the possibility. Such an act would be highly controversial. (dpa)
