A Seoul court has reduced the disgraced former President Park Geun-hye's prison sentence by 10 years on Friday. This is going to be the final ruling over the corruption scandal, which landed South Korea's first female president in jail.
Geun-hye was impeached following violent protests on the streets against her rule. The former president has been serving a 30-year jail term for abuse of power, bribery, and also receiving money from the national spy agency.
Former South Korea President's Jail Term Reduced by 10 Years
But following an appeal, the Seoul High Court sentenced Park to 15 years in jail for bribery and an additional five years for the other charges. In addition, she was also separately sentenced to two years in prison for violation fo election laws. She is now going to face 22 years in prison.
The judges mentioned in a statement as reported by The Strait Times that the former president "failed to fulfil her constitutional obligations as a President", Burt she did not make use of the funds that were illegally acquired for her personal benefits. Park was also fined and ordered to forfeit a total amount of 21.5 billion won, which is a slight reduction in her earlier penalty. The decision came following an extended legal process.
The former president has not been attending the proceedings claiming that they are biased against her and was also not there at the court on Friday. The corruption scandal revealed the shady links between the big businesses and politics in South Korea. Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil were accused of taking bribes from conglomerates, which include Samsung Electronics.
Park Won-soon Dead
South Korean presidents have a tendency of ending up in prison after their time in power. All four of the living president of South Korea have been convicted of criminal offenses.
On the other hand, the mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon has died. The body of the deceased mayor of Seoul was found near Sukjeongmun Gate on Mount Bukak. The former mayor had previously raised his voice against Park Geun-hye as he expressed his support for the millions of people who protested against her. The cause of his demise is not known, as per latest updates.
