BREAKING: Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye sentenced to 24 years imprisonment
Park Geun-hye, a former President of South Korea, was on Friday sentenced to 24 years in prison after being found guilty of abuse of power and coercion.
In a verdict that was broadcast live, Ms Geun-hye was also fined 18 billion Korean won for her corrupt practices. The money is about 17 million in U.S. dollars.
The former president was not in court on Friday for the verdict. She was first arrested in March 2017 and had refused to attend trial since October, citing health crisis.
She maintained she did no wrong and accused authorities of victimising her for political reasons.
At the heart of her trial was allegations that she colluded with her close friend, Choi Soon-sil, to shakedown business executives in South Korea in return for political favours. The collaborator had been sentenced to prison since February last year.
The former president was brought down following weeks of protests across the country in March 2017. She was subsequently arrested and placed on trial.
Prosecutors got her convicted on 18 counts of bribery and coercion.
Her supporters are still taking to the streets in Seoul, the country’s capital, demanding her release, saying her trial was political.
VIA PREMIUMTIMES
More Stories
BIDEN TO PARDON US MILITARY PERSONNEL CONVICTED OF HOMOSEXUALITY
Declaring on Wednesday that he was "righting a historic wrong," US President Joe Biden pardoned military troops convicted under a...
UPDATE: IBEDC TO RECONNECT OYO COMMUNITY AFTER 10-YEARS
The Lalupon neighborhood in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, has been without power for ten years. To address this...
WORLD NEWS: AUSTRIA SUMMONS RUSSIA ENVOY
Austria protested what it described as Moscow's "unprecedented" removal of an Austrian journalist's media accreditation on Wednesday by calling Russia's...
BREAKING: KENYA’S PRESIDENT WITHDRAW TAX PLAN AFTER DEADLY PROTEST
Following tragic protests on Tuesday that resulted in the parliament being set on fire, President William Ruto of Kenya has...
ANTI-TAX HIKE: KENYA PROTESTERS VOW TO MARCH AGAIN
Organizers of the statewide protests in Kenya urged for further nonviolent marches against the very unpopular tax hikes on Wednesday,...
NEWS: SIX TEENAGERS DROWN IN KADUNA RIVER AFTER JUNIOR WAEC
Around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, six teens from Ribang (Mbang) village, Kauru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, drowned in the...