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SEOUL, South Korea – Lee Myung-bak, former president of South Korea, was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for corruption and embezzlement, becoming the second South Korean leader to be sentenced in recent months for his repression of corruption.
Mr. Lee was president from 2008 to 2013. His successor, Park Geun-hye, who was indicted and dismissed for corruption and abuse of power, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by an appeal court. in August.
In a Friday national television decision, Lee was convicted of collecting bribes from a variety of sources, including 6.1 billion won, or about $ 5.4 million, from Samsung. largest commercial conglomerate of the country, when he was a candidate for the presidency and after taking office. In 2008.
In return for the kickbacks, Lee made favors to Samsung's executives, including granting a presidential pardon to Lee Kun-hee, chairman of the company, who was found guilty of embezzlement and theft. 39, tax evasion in 2009, said Judge Chung Kae-seon in his judgment. at the Seoul Central District Court on Friday.
The presidential pardon of Lee Kun-hee was criticized at the time as an example of clemency towards the biggest businessmen convicted of serious white-collar crimes. The mogul had been forced to resign as president of Samsung in 2008 after allegations of corruption had been reported, but he returned to the ranks of the company's management barely a few months after being pardoned.
Lee Myung-bak then decided to grant a special amnesty to Lee Kun-hee so that the businessman could remain a member of the International Olympic Committee and lead South Korea's candidacy for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. .
The court also ruled Friday that the former president had concealed his property from a lucrative auto parts maker under the name of relatives and hijacked 24 billion won from the company between 1995 and 2007. The court ruled that Samsung had offered to bribe Mr. Lee in the form of paying his legal fees to settle a case that involved the parts company.
The court said that Samsung's kickbacks had been approved by Lee Kun-hee, who has been disabled since a heart attack in 2014.
In February, an appeal court convicted Lee Jae-yong, son of Lee Kun-hee and vice-president of Samsung, for corruption of Ms. Park, who succeeded Lee Myung-bak as president.
But Lee Jae-yong was released because the court of appeal suspended his prison sentence of two and a half years.
Samsung did not comment immediately on the conviction of the former president.
Lee Myung-bak was also fined 13 billion won. Mr. Lee, who did not appear in court on Friday, had a week to appeal. He vehemently denied any wrongdoing at his trial.
"During the hearings, he blamed his collaborators, accusing them of committing the crimes on their own account and conspiring against them," Judge Chung said Friday.
Almost all former South Korean presidents, as well as many of their business magnates, have been involved in corruption cases.
Mr Lee, a former Hyundai executive, won the presidency by promising to use his business skills to help rejuvenate the South Korean economy. But he was accused of corruption before and after his election. In March, he became the fourth former president to have been arrested for corruption since the 1990s.
The current president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, won the elections to replace Ms. Park in May last year with the promise of breaking the bonds of corruption between politicians and businessmen.
