Timeline of South Korea's influence-peddling scandal ahead of Supreme Court ruling
Record ID:
1428774
Timeline of South Korea's influence-peddling scandal ahead of Supreme Court ruling
- Title: Timeline of South Korea's influence-peddling scandal ahead of Supreme Court ruling
- Date: 27th August 2019
- Summary: Choi Soon-sil, was sentenced to three years in jail on June 23, the first ruling against her. Prosecutors demanded a seven-year jail term for Choi on charges of obstruction of business and links to Park in order to force a university to give her daughter preferential treatment. Choi also faced separate charges, which had yet to be heard, of extortion, abuse of power and attempted fraud to extort bribes from business conglomerates. She and Park denied all charges against them. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - JUNE 23, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR OF SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT EMBLEM OF SOUTH KOREAN COURT / LETTERS READING (Korean): "COURT" BUS CARRYING, CHOI SOON-SIL, ARRIVING AT SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT FOR VERDICT CHOI GETTING OFF PRISON BUS AND WALKING BEING ESCORTED BY POLICE OFFICERS Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee left a South Korean jail a free man on February 5 after a panel of judges suspended his sentence, a surprise decision that sent shockwaves through the country's political and business establishments. Lee said he spent his year in jail on "precious" self-reflection and promised to show a better side in future, after a Seoul High Court jailed Lee for two and a half years, reducing the original term by half, and suspended the sentence for charges including bribery and embezzlement. UIWANG, SOUTH KOREA (FEBRUARY 5, 2018) (REUTERS) SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS VICE CHAIRMAN JAY Y. LEE WALKING OUT OF SEOUL DETENTION CENTRE AND STANDING IN FRONT OF MEDIA LETTERS ON SIGN READING (Korean): "SEOUL DETENTION CENTER" LEE WAKING TOWARD CAR AND BEING SURROUNDED BY MEDIA In February 2018, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Choi Soon-sil to 20 years in jail. Choi was convicted of receiving bribes from Samsung and the Lotte Group, the country's fifth-largest conglomerate. The court also sentenced chairman of Lotte, Shin Dong-bin, to two years and six months in prison and ordered his immediate arrest. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - FEBRUARY 13, 2018) (REUTERS) CHOI WALKING TOWARDS PRISON BUS AND TAKEN INTO BUS AFTER COURT VERDICT BACK WINDOW OF PRISON BUS WITH SIGN READING (Korean): "EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION" CHAIRMAN OF LOTTE GROUP, SHIN DONG-BIN, WALKING OUT AND GETTING ONTO PRISON BUS AFTER VERDICT BUS DRIVING AWAY
- Embargoed: 10th September 2019 08:06
- Keywords: president impeachment Samsung timeline trial Choi Soon-sil political scandal Park South Korea Jay Y. Lee Park Geun-hye Supreme Court
- Location: SEOUL, INCHEON, UIWANG, SOUTH KOREA/ AALBORG, DENMARK/ HAGEN, GERMANY
- City: SEOUL, INCHEON, UIWANG, SOUTH KOREA/ AALBORG, DENMARK/ HAGEN, GERMANY
- Country: South Korea
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA00PAU0XZYF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: South Korea's Supreme Court is set to deliver a ruling on the bribery conviction of Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee in a corruption scandal on Thursday (August 29) that led to the ouster of the country's then-president in 2017.
The ruling will be a test of South Korea's pledge to reform dominant conglomerates criticised for cozy relationship with political leaders, at a time when the Asia's fourth-biggest economy is facing a series of headwinds.
The 51-year-old Lee was convicted of bribing Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of former President Park Geun-hye.
Prosecutors have alleged that he paid bribes to help secure control of Samsung Group, South Korea's top conglomerate that owns Samsung Electronics, the world's leading smartphone and chip maker. He denied the charges.
He received a five-year jail term in 2017, but was released in 2018 after an appeals court reduced his punishment to a suspended prison sentence on charges of bribery, embezzlement and other convictions.
Both Lee and state prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court, leaving the top court with the options of either upholding the appeals court's ruling or asking it to reconsider its judgement, legal experts say. Samsung declined to comment.
The Supreme Court is also set to rule on appeals court decisions in the cases against Park and Choi.
Park, who was impeached following the scandal, received a jail sentence of 25 years, while Choi was jailed for 20 years. They were both fined of 20 billion won ($16.53 million).
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