Thirty years in prison required against the president of south korea fallen

AFP

AFP

Tuesday, 27 February, 2018 03:34

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Tuesday, 27 February, 2018 03:34

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SEOUL, South Korea | The public prosecutor of south korea has required Tuesday to 30 years imprisonment against the ex-president Park Geun-hye, overwhelmed by a vast corruption scandal that has unearthed ties to unhealthy between the world of business and politics.

The dismissal of Ms Park, who is 66 years old, had been confirmed in march 2017 by the highest court of justice in the country.

It had been almost a year that she is in provisional detention in this case centered on his former confidante of the shadow, his “friend of 40 years,” Choi Soon-sil.

“We ask the court to pronounce a sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of $ 118.5 billion won against the accused, who must be held the ultimate responsibility for the scandal as the 18th president of this country,” said the prosecutor in a statement read at the hearing.

The prosecution accuses Ms Park has accepted or been promised, in collusion with her confidante, of bribes for a total of 59.2 billion won from three conglomerates in south korea, Samsung, Lotte, and SK, in exchange for political favors.

The former head of the State was also charged for having forced 18 major companies to “give” a total of 77.4 billion won to two foundations bad been placed under the control of Ms. Choi.

The central district court of Seoul recently sentenced her confidante to 20 years in prison for abuse of power, corruption and interference in the affairs of the State.

“The accused has abused the power she had of the people for the personal benefit of Ms. Choi and his own,” added the prosecutor. “She violated the values fundamental constitutional protection of the market economy and democratic freedom”. “Accordingly, the accused became the first president to be dismissed by impeachment, dealing with the history of the country an indelible scar”.

Eldest daughter of the dictator Park Chung-Hee, Ms. Park grew up in the presidential palace, where his father reigned as a master from 1961 until his assassination in 1979. It has been regarded for decades as “the princess” policy of the country.

“Liaisons ” unhealthy”

In a context of frustration with economic and social growing, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to demand his departure.

Ms. Park had been destitute in December 2016, by the national Assembly, a decision confirmed three months later by the constitutional Court.

This had enabled at the same time the lifting of his immunity for the presidency and his charge.

The scandal had unearthed the bridging disorder between political and economic elites. The chaebols, family business empires sprawling, are the drivers of the south Korean economy thriving. Groups like Samsung or Hyundai have played a crucial role in the economic “miracle” of the 1960s and 1970s that has transformed the war-ravaged country.

The prosecution has accused Ms. Park “to be allied with the chaebols, rather than with the people,” and exacerbating “the unhealthy relationship between the political and economic power”.

In early February, the justice of south korea has released the heir of the empire of Samsung, Lee Jae-Yong, tried in the same scandal. His conviction was upheld on appeal but the sentence was reduced to suspension. It was the third member of the family clan to benefit from the leniency of the courts.

The former conservative president refuses to attend the hearing since October, accusing justice of being partisan.

His disgrace was precipitated in may 2017 an early presidential election which had resulted in the easy victory of the candidate of the centre-left Moon Jae-in.

The popularity rating remains high in South Korea, mainly because of its image as a man of the people, its policies in favour of the most disadvantaged, its commitment to dialogue with the North, combined with the successful olympic winter Games.