The heir to the Samsung business empire, including the world’s biggest smartphone maker, awaited the verdict on August 25 in his corruption trial over the scandal that brought down South Korean president Park Geun-Hye. / AFP PHOTO
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The corruption verdict and sentencing of South Korea’s former president Park Geun-Hye will be televised live, Yonhap said Tuesday, in a case that could see her jailed for 30 years.
The 66-year-old Park, daughter of a former dictator, was ousted from power in March 2017 following months of street protests.
She has been in police custody for almost a year over a wide-ranging corruption scandal, which exposed shady links between big business and politics.
The Seoul Central District Court said it would allow the verdict and sentencing of Park, set for Friday afternoon, to be broadcast live on television due to high public interest, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Prosecutors have demanded a 30-year-jail sentence and a 118.5 billion won ($110 million) fine for Park, saying she must take responsibility for the scandal as the former president.
Park is accused of colluding with her secret confidante and long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, who has been convicted and jailed, for taking tens of millions of dollars from conglomerates in return for policy favors.
It is unclear whether Park will attend court Friday as she has boycotted her hearings since the court extended her detention last October.
© Agence France-Presse
