South Korea’s former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo received an 8-month jail term Friday for receiving bribes from a deceased businessman.
Still, the Seoul Central District Court suspended the sentence for two years and ordered him to forfeit 30 million won ($27,000).
Lee, who stepped down in April after mounting suspicion, was convicted of taking 30 million won at his election office in April
2013 from Sung Wan-jong, the late chairman of construction firm Keangnam Enterprises Inc.
“The authenticity of the recorded interview of Sung Wan-jong and credibility of statements made by secretaries can all be accepted,” the court said.
A corruption scandal flared up after Sung left a note and a recorded interview claiming that he gave money to eight politicians, including Lee and Hong Joon-pyo, governor of South Gyeongsang Province, as well as President Park Geun-hye’s former and current chiefs of staff.
Prosecutors indicted Lee and Hong in July 2015 while not prosecuting the others, citing a lack of evidence and the statute of limitations.
“The justice department accepted every single claim made by the prosecutors, but I am innocent,” Lee told reporters after the ruling was delivered, adding he will appeal.
Sung hanged himself on April 9 just hours before a court hearing that would have determined the legality of his arrest regarding his embezzlement charges. (Yonhap)
