Friend of former S. Korean president gets 20 years
Choi Soon-sil, one of the central figures in the scandal which brought down ex-president Park Geun-hye, was sentenced to 20 years in jail on Tuesday in Seoul Central District Court. She was found guilty of corruption, abuse of power and coercion, according to a report carried by Yonhap. The confidante of South Korea's former leader also must pay 18 billion won ($16.6 million), says the verdict. She was also sentenced to three years in June.
The article notes Choi was arrested on 18 charges of bribery, where prosecutors claimed she made 50 companies pay a total of 77.4 billion won to two nongovernmental organizations she ran. Allegations included unauthorized access to confidential government information and influence peddling.
Shin Dong-bin, another prominent figure in the operation, got two an a half years for bribery. The chairman and chief executive of the Lotte Group was said to have donated seven billion won in return for Choi's favors and he is now obligated to pay an equivalent sum. Park's senior aide An Chong-bum was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine of 100 million won.