Friend of former S.Korea leader jailed for three years

Friend of former S.Korea leader jailed for three years

In this Jan 16, 2017 file photo, Choi Soon-sil (centre), the woman at the centre of the South Korean political scandal and long-time friend of President Park Geun-hye, arrives for hearing arguments for South Korean President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters photo)
In this Jan 16, 2017 file photo, Choi Soon-sil (centre), the woman at the centre of the South Korean political scandal and long-time friend of President Park Geun-hye, arrives for hearing arguments for South Korean President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters photo)

SEOUL - The friend of former South Korean leader Park Geun-hye who was at the centre of an influence-peddling scandal that rocked the country's business and political elite has been sentenced to three years in jail, the Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.

Prosecutors had demanded a seven-year jail term for Choi Soon-sil on charges of obstruction of business and links to the former president in order to force a university to give her daughter favours.

The Seoul Central District Court said Choi Soon-sil “committed so many illegal activities'' as she pressured Ewha Womans University to grant admission and then provide academic favours to her daughter despite Chung Yoo-ra's questionable qualifications.

Choi, Ms Park's friend of 40 years, is being tried separately over more serious charges, including allegations that she colluded with Ms Park to take tens of millions of dollars from the country's largest companies in bribes and through extortion.

Following months of massive protests by millions and impeachment by lawmakers in December, Ms Park was formally removed from office and arrested over the corruption scandal in March. She was indicted in April on bribery and other charges.

Choi Kyung-hee, Ewha's former president, and Namkung Gon, the university's former head of admissions, also received shorter prison terms on Friday for providing Ms Chung favourable treatment.

Ms Chung was extradited from Denmark last month and is currently being investigated by prosecutors who see her as a key figure in the suspected bribery connections between former President Park and corporate giant Samsung.

According to prosecutors, Ms Park colluded with Choi Soon-sil to take about $26 million in bribes from Samsung and was promised tens of millions of dollars more from Samsung and other large companies. Prosecutors say the bribery included $7 million Samsung provided to a sports consulting firm controlled by Choi that financed Ms Chung's equestrian training in Germany.

The allegations that Ms Chung was sponsored by Samsung and received academic favours helped drive the popular anger that led to Ms Park's ouster. Many students were among the millions who protested against Ms Park for weeks, angry that Ms Chung got a free pass into an elite school because of her wealth and connections, while others navigate the country's hyper-competitive school environment on their own.

The court decision was the first ruling against Choi, who faces separate charges that allege she accepted bribes for Ms Park from business conglomerates. The court has yet to rule on those charges.

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