October 5, 2018

Court sentences former President Lee to 15 years in jail on corruption charges

Source: Yonhap News

A Seoul court sentenced former President Lee Myung-bak to 15 years in jail and fined him 13 billion won (US$11.5 million) on multiple corruption charges Friday, making him the fourth ex-South Korean leader to be criminally convicted.

In the live televised trial, the court ruled Lee, 76, is the de facto owner of his brother's company, DAS, which is at the center of the the scandal. The court said he told DAS officials to create slush funds and are responsible for a range of irregularities involving the company. Lee has long been suspected of being its real owner.

Lee, president from 2008-2013, was indicted in April on 16 counts that include bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power. Prosecutors had demanded 20 years in prison for Lee.

snip

Of the 35 billion won prosecutors alleged Lee had embezzled, the court only acknowledged 24 billion won, citing a lack of evidence.

Read more: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2018/10/05/0301000000AEN20181005006500315.html

---

This is so great. He was a terrible president. He was also under investigation before his election and most of the public didn't care. The opposition parties were in such disarray it was never in doubt.
Lee had people blackballed for publicly opposing him. He used the National Police to hound the former President Noh Moo-hyun into committing suicide. In the 2013 Presidential election his cronies at National Intelligence used the assets at the agency to help get Bak Geun-hye elected
I hope he dies in prison