The Seoul High Court on Wednesday extended the prison term for ex-South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, convicted for bribery and embezzlement, to 17 years and revoked his bail, returning the 78-year-old back into custody, national media reported
SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2020) The Seoul High Court on Wednesday extended the prison term for ex-South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, convicted for bribery and embezzlement, to 17 years and revoked his bail, returning the 78-year-old back into custody, national media reported.
Lee, a former Hyundai executive, served as president between 2008 and 2013. In October 2018, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In March, a court ruled to release him on bail due to his ailing health.
The Seoul High Court, however, turned down this decision. The previous ruling ordering Lee to pay 13 billion wons ($10.9 million) in fine and 5.78 billion wons in forfeit was upheld, the Yonhap news agency reported.
The embezzlement charges against the ex-president are connected with his brother's auto parts company DAS. A lower court earlier recognized Lee as the firm's de facto owner. The politician is accused of abusing his office to benefit this company and taking bribes from Samsung Electronics.
Lee is the fourth South Korean president to be criminally convicted.
