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South Korean ex-leader gets 8 more years in prison

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Park Geun-hye now faces the prospect of more than 3 decades behind bars

Former South Korean president Park Geun-hye faces three more decades behind bars. She's already serving a 24-year term over a corruption scandal that led to her removal from office last year. (Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former president Park Geun-hye to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws.

She now faces the prospect of more than three decades behind bars. She's already serving a 24-year prison term over a massive corruption scandal that led to her removal from office last year.

Seoul Central District Court on Friday found her guilty of causing substantial losses to state coffers by unlawfully receiving about 3 billion won ($2.6 million Cdn) from chiefs of the National Intelligence Service during her presidency and sentenced her to six years in prison.

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However, she was found not guilty of bribery charges related to the money transfers. The court said it was unclear whether the spy chiefs sought or received favours in return.

The court separately sentenced Park to two years in prison for breaking election laws by meddling in her party candidate's nomination while attempting to win more spots for her loyalists ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2016.

She didn't appear in court. Park's conservative party failed to gain a majority in the National Assembly after the parliamentary vote in April 2016.

Supporters of Park gather outside a Seoul court after she was initially convicted on bribery, corruption and coercion charges in April. (King Hong-Ji/Reuters)

Analysts then said voters were frustrated over what they saw as Park's heavy-handed and uncompromising leadership style and inability to tolerate dissent within her party, which triggered rifts between her loyalists and reformists.

The party's defeat loomed large months later in December when an opposition-controlled parliament suspended Park's powers by passing a bill on her impeachment. Millions of protesters had poured onto the streets calling for Park's ouster amid allegations that she colluded with a longtime confidant to take tens of millions of dollars from companies in bribes and extortion and allowed the friend to secretly manipulate state affairs. The court convicted Park on most of these charges when it sentenced her to 24 years in prison in April.

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The ruling marked a stunning fall from grace for the country's first female leader, who won the 2012 presidential election by more than a million votes. Park enjoyed overwhelming support from conservatives who remember her father, staunch anti-communist dictator Park Chung-hee, as a hero whose aggressive industrial policies lifted the nation from the devastation of the Korean War and rescued millions from poverty. Critics see the elder Park as a brutal dictator who tortured and executed dissidents.

While Park's prison term currently adds up to 32 years, this could change and potentially get even longer, depending on rulings of appeals courts. Prosecutors appealed Park's 24-year term on charges including bribery and abuse of state power and are now demanding 30 years in prison. The Seoul High Court will rule on the case on Aug. 24.

Following her impeachment, Park was formally removed from office following a ruling by the country's constitutional Court in March last year and was arrested weeks later.</s>A South Korean court sentenced former president Park Geun-hye to eight more years in prison on Friday after finding her guilty on charges of causing loss of government funds and interfering in a 2016 parliamentary election.

 Park has already been sentenced to 24 years in jail after she was found guilty by a lower court in April of separate charges including bribery, abuse of power and coercion.

All sentences must be served consecutively if they are upheld, a court spokeswoman said.

Park became South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office last year when the Constitutional Court ordered her out over a scandal that exposed a web of corruption between political leaders and the country’s powerful conglomerates, or chaebol.

Park, 66, has denied wrongdoing and was not present in court.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Park colluded with her former aides to cause the loss of government funds worth about 30 billion won ($26.49 million) from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The money was from a “special activity fund” allocated to the spy agency, totalling 4 billion won every year but exempt from state audits or parliamentary reports. Two of the three former NIS directors involved were sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison last month, and the third to three years.

Park was also found guilty of interfering in the ruling party’s selection of candidates for the parliamentary election, breaching the president’s obligations to honour the party system.

“Park’s private use of the funds weakened the principles of executing government funds, and barred the country’s chief spy agency from using the funds for its core duty of protecting the country and the people,” presiding judge Seong Chang-ho said as he delivered the verdict.

“This even could have caused danger for the country and the people, so a rigorous punishment for the defendant is needed,” he said. An appeal against the ruling can be lodged, Seong said.

Prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence and an 80 billion won fine for Park.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>South Korean ex-president Park gets 24 years in jail for abuse of power, bribery

A South Korean court has sentenced jailed former South Korean President Park Geun-hye to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws.

She now faces the prospect of more than three decades behind bars. She's already serving a 24-year prison term over a massive corruption scandal that led to her removal from office last year.

Seoul Central District Court on Friday found her guilty of unlawfully receiving about 3 billion won ($2.6 million) from chiefs of the National Intelligence Service during her presidency.

The court separately sentenced Park to two years in prison for breaking election laws by meddling in her party candidate's nomination ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2016.

She didn't appear in court on Friday.</s>A South Korean court sentenced former president Park Geun-hye to eight more years in prison on Friday after finding her guilty on charges of causing loss of government funds and interfering in a 2016 parliamentary election.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Park, who has already received a 24-year jail term over separate corruption charges, colluded with her former aides to cause the loss of government funds worth about 30 billion won ($26.49 million) from the National Intelligence Service.

She was also found guilty of interfering in the ruling party's selection of candidates for the parliamentary election.

Park, 66, has denied wrongdoing and was not present in court. She was found guilty by a lower court in April of separate charges including bribery, abuse of power and coercion.</s>A court in South Korea found former President Park Geun-hye guilty on Friday of misusing government funds and interfering in a 2016 parliamentary election.

Park was sentenced to an additional eight years in prison, meaning the 66-year-old now faces a total of 32 years in prison. In April, she was given a 24-year prison sentence after being found guilty of separate corruption and abuse of power charges.

The case before the Seoul Central District Court on Friday concerned illegal payments Park received from South Korea's National Intelligence agency, amounting to some 3.3 billion won ($2.9 million; €2.5 million).

"The accused received some three billion won over three years from the three NIS chiefs. Through this crime, the accused caused a considerable amount of loss to the state treasury," said senior judge Seong Chang-ho at the Seoul Central District Court.

The three former NIS chiefs testified that they'd channeled the funds to the former president on her orders, the court said.

Park, who has denied any wrongdoing and described the charges as "politically motivated," was not present in court for the sentencing.

The public money funneled from the spy agency was allegedly used to maintain her private house, fund massage treatments and finance a boutique where Park's close friend Choi Soon-sil had all of Park's clothes made.

Choi was a central figure in the corruption scandal that led to Park's impeachment and criminal convictions. Choi was found guilty of taking advantage of her private ties with Park to extort bribes worth millions of dollars from businesses including Samsung. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence for bribery, abuse of power and meddling in state affairs.

Park was ousted from office in March 2017 following an impeachment vote in parliament and weeks of mass demonstrations calling for her to step down.</s>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former South Korean President Park Geun-hye to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws.

She now faces the prospect of more than three decades behind bars. She’s already serving a 24-year prison term over a massive corruption scandal that led to her removal from office last year.

Seoul Central District Court on Friday found her guilty of causing substantial losses to state coffers by unlawfully receiving about 3 billion won ($2.6 million) from chiefs of the National Intelligence Service during her presidency and sentenced her to six years in prison.

However, she was found not guilty of bribery charges related to the money transfers. The court said it was unclear whether the spy chiefs sought or received favors in return.

The court separately sentenced Park to two years in prison for breaking election laws by meddling in her party candidate’s nomination ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2016.

She didn’t appear in court.

While Park’s prison term currently adds up to 32 years, this could change, and potentially get even longer, depending on rulings of appeals courts. Following the earlier ruling in April, prosecutors appealed Park’s 24-year term on charges including bribery and abuse of state power and are now demanding 30 years in prison. The Seoul High Court will rule on the case on Aug. 24.

Following protests by millions, South Korean lawmakers impeached Park on December 2016. She was formally removed from office following a ruling by the country’s Constitutional Court in March last year and was arrested weeks later.</s>Former South Korean president Park Geun-hye was sentenced to another eight years in prison on Friday for illegally taking state funds from the country's spy agency and interfering in elections.

Park is already serving another sentence resulting from an influence-peddling scandal.</s>South Korean ex-leader sentenced to 8 more years in prison

SEOUL — A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former South Korean President Park Geun-hye to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws.

She now faces the prospect of more than three decades behind bars. She’s already serving a 24-year prison term over a massive corruption scandal that led to her removal from office last year.

Seoul Central District Court on Friday found her guilty of causing substantial losses to state coffers by unlawfully receiving about $2.6 million from chiefs of the National Intelligence Service during her presidency and sentenced her to six years in prison.

However, she was found not guilty of bribery charges related to the money transfers. The court said it was unclear whether the spy chiefs sought or received favors in return.

The court separately sentenced Park to two years in prison for breaking election laws by meddling in her party candidate’s nomination while attempting to win more spots for her loyalists ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2016.

She didn’t appear in court.

Park’s conservative party failed to gain a majority in the National Assembly after the parliamentary vote in April 2016. Analysts then said voters were frustrated over what they saw as Park’s heavy-handed and uncompromising leadership style and inability to tolerate dissent within her party, which triggered rifts between her loyalists and reformists.

The party’s defeat loomed large months later in December when an opposition-controlled parliament suspended Park’s powers by passing a bill on her impeachment. Millions of protesters had poured onto the streets calling for Park’s ouster amid allegations that she colluded with a longtime confidant to take tens of millions of dollars from companies in bribes and extortion and allowed the friend to secretly manipulate state affairs. The court convicted Park on most of these charges when it sentenced her to 24 years in prison in April.

The ruling marked a stunning fall from grace for the country’s first female leader who won the 2012 presidential election by more than a million votes. Park enjoyed overwhelming support from conservatives who remember her father, staunch anti-communist dictator Park Chung-hee, as a hero whose aggressive industrial policies lifted the nation from the devastation of the 1950-53 Korean War and rescued millions from poverty. Critics see the elder Park as a brutal dictator who tortured and executed dissidents.

Following her impeachment, Park was formally removed from office following a ruling by the country’s Constitutional Court in March last year and was arrested weeks later.

Kim Tong-Hyung is an Associated Press writer.</s>SEOUL: A South Korean court sentenced former president Park Geun-hye to eight more years in prison on Friday after finding her guilty on charges of causing loss of government funds and interfering in a 2016 parliamentary election.

Park has already been sentenced to 24 years in jail after she was found guilty by a lower court in April of separate charges including bribery, abuse of power and coercion.

All sentences must be served consecutively, a court spokeswoman said.

Park became South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be forced from office last year when the Constitutional Court ordered her out over a scandal that exposed a web of corruption between political leaders and the country's powerful conglomerates, or chaebol.

Park, 66, has denied wrongdoing and was not present in court. It was immediately unclear whether Park would appeal.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Park colluded with her former aides to cause the loss of government funds worth about 30 billion won (£20.35 million) from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The money was from a "special activity fund" allocated to the spy agency, totaling 4 billion won every year but exempt from state audits or parliamentary reports. Two of the three former NIS directors involved were sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison last month, and the third to three years.

Park was also found guilty of interfering in the ruling party's selection of candidates for the parliamentary election, breaching the president's obligations to remain politically neutral.

"Park's private use of the funds weakened the principles of executing government funds, and barred the country's chief spy agency from using the funds for its core duty of protecting the country and the people," presiding judge Seong Chang-ho said as he delivered the verdict.

"However, the defendant has shifted blame to her assistants and refused to appear in court," Seong said.

As the judge handed down the verdict, Park's supporters attending the trial reportedly shouted "Release the innocent president," and "Is this a law?"

Prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence and a 80 billion won fine for Park.</s>Former South Korea President Sentenced To 8 More Years In Prison

A South Korean court on Friday tacked on another eight years to former President Park Geun-hye's sentence for illegally receiving funds from a state agency and breaking election laws.

Park, who was the country's first female president, was already serving 24 years in prison for corruption — bribery, abuse of power and leaking state secrets — that led to her impeachment in December 2016. The new round of penalties apply consecutively, which mean that Park, who's 66 years old, faces a 32-year prison term.

The Seoul Central District Court found Park guilty of wrongfully diverting more than 3 billion won — over $26 million — from a handful of former spy agency directors at the National Intelligence Service, Reuters reported.

"Through this crime, the accused incurred a considerable amount of loss to the state treasury," senior judge Seong Chang-ho said, according to Reuters.

But Park was acquitted of bribery charges in relation to the money transfers because the court not determine whether the intelligence chiefs received favors in exchange, the Associated Press reported.

According to the AP, two of the NIS directors who siphoned off money from the agency were sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison last month. The third received three years.

The court also fined the disgraced former leader 3.3 billion won ($2.91 million), Yonhap News Agency reported.

The court also ruled Park had interfered in the 2016 parliamentary elections by attempting to manipulate her party's candidate nominations. The AP reported it was an effort to bolster the number of Park loyalists as divisions within the conservative party became increasingly entrenched.

The sentence was issued in Park's absence. She has denied all wrongdoing and has refused to attend the court proceedings, calling them "politically motivated."

As NPR's Elise Hu reported Park's authority began to unravel in the fall of 2016 after revelations that she had abused her executive powers by turning high-level responsibilities over to her close confidant, Choi:

It is possible Park's cumulative jail sentence could change, the AP reported. Prosecutors are appealing the 24-year-long prison term on the previous conviction, arguing it is too lenient. They are calling for a punishment of 30 years.

Meanwhile, AFP reported, "Park's own lawyers asked for her conviction to be overturned, saying she made no gains herself when businesses 'donated' funds to foundations controlled by Choi, and that her impeachment and ouster meant she had already taken 'political responsibility' for the case."

The Seoul High Court is expected to rule on pending issues in the case on Aug. 24.
Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye is sentenced to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws.