Published : Aug. 20, 2015 - 15:03
The top court Thursday upheld a lower court's ruling on former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, sentencing her to two years behind bars for accepting bribes as political funds from the head of a local construction company.
The Supreme Court found Han, who was prime minister from 2006 to 2007 under the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, guilty of receiving 880 million won ($760,000) in illicit political funds during the presidential campaign in 2007.
The appeals court's decision ordering Han to forfeit the 880 million won was also confirmed by the top court.
(Yonhap)
The head of a local construction firm, who had confessed to the prosecution that he gave kickbacks to Han, changed his statement at the first trial held in April 2010.
While a district court acquitted Han, citing a lack of credibility over the statement made by the businessman during the prosecution's investigation, the appeals court overturned the original decision.
"The statement by the businessman was made before prosecutors found other evidence, such as financial documents, to back up Han's allegation," Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae said, explaining the credibility of his statement.
The sentence deprived Han of her parliamentary seat, reducing the number of seats held by the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy to 128. (Yonhap)