eFM News

The Supreme Court will deliver on Thursday a final ruling in a high-profile corruption case that led to the removal of former President Park Geun-hye from office in 2017.

The top court is scheduled to hold a hearing at 11 a.m. over an appeal filed by prosecutors against a ruling in July that reduced Park's prison sentence.

Park was ousted from the presidential office in March 2017 over her involvement in a massive power abuse and bribery scandal.

She was accused of conspiring with her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil to force big conglomerates, such as Samsung and Lotte, to donate over 77 billion won to two foundations under Choi's control.

Park was also separately indicted on charges of accepting illicit funds worth 3.5 billion won from three former chiefs of the National Intelligence Service from May 2013 to September 2016 in collusion with her aides.

During the retrial in July, the Seoul High Court sentenced the former president to 15 years for bribery, and an additional five years for abuse of power and other criminal charges.

She was also fined 18 billion won and ordered to forfeit 3.5 billion won.

In comparison, she was given a combined 30-year prison term, 20 billion won in fines and a forfeit of 2.7 billion won by the appellate court in the two previous rulings in 2018 and 2019.

The Supreme Court, which heard the case once already, is widely expected to uphold the 20-year jail term handed down to Park.

Since she did not appeal the last ruling, the court will likely only review new arguments to be presented by prosecutors and close the case three years and nine months after she was first indicted over the influence-peddling scandal.