Politics
10:37, 04-Jan-2018
Park Geun-hye to face additional bribery charge
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South Korean prosecutors will file an additional charge against former President Park Geun-hye on Thursday, the Newsis news agency has reported.
Park allegedly received between 50 and 200 million won (47,000 to 188,000 US dollars) from the NIS every month soon after her swearing-in in early 2013 until mid-2016, said prosecutors.
The cash, said to total 3.8 billion won (3.57 million US dollars) was reportedly delivered by NIS agents to Park's aides in uncrowded parking lots or in back alleys near the presidential Blue House.
The money came from the spy agency's "blind budget", millions of dollars of special funds that can be spent without receipts for anti-espionage activities, Yonhap news agency said.
It remains unclear how Park spent the funds but news reports said she used them for personal purposes or to bankroll supporter groups.
South Korea's former President Park Geun-hye arrives for a trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, on May 25, 2017. /Xinhua Photo
South Korea's former President Park Geun-hye arrives for a trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, on May 25, 2017. /Xinhua Photo
Park is already on trial for 18 charges including bribery, coercion and abuse of power for offering governmental favors to tycoons, and prosecutors will add a 19th count to the indictment regarding the payments, reports said.
South Korea's first female president was impeached by parliament after months of mass protests over a sprawling graft scandal, and the constitutional court upheld the decision in March last year, dismissing her from office.
She has been in custody since March 31.
Her trial began in May but she has refused to attend since October, infuriated by a court decision to extend her detention by six months, when her legal team also quit, accusing the judges of bias.
Park has since refused to cooperate with a team of state-sponsored defense lawyers appointed by the court.
Prosecutors sought to question Park in prison twice over the fresh allegations, but she has refused to cooperate.
Two former NIS chiefs have been indicted over the bribery charges.
Source(s): AFP