Choi Soon-sil sentenced to 20 years in jail

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The longtime confidante of ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Choi Soon-sil, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for her role in the corruption and influence-peddling scandal that brought down Park, Yonhap News Agency has reported.

The 61-year-old is facing 18 charges, including abuse of power, attempted fraud, corruption and bribery. She has also been charged with taking 43.3 billion won (40.7 million US dollars) from tech behemoth Samsung Group in collusion with Park and extorting another 77.4 billion won (72.8 million US dollars) for two nonprofit foundations she set up.

File Photo: Choi Soon-sil arrives for a hearing arguments for South Korean President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul. /Reuters Photo

The Seoul Central District Court also ruled on Tuesday that Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, charged with bribery, was guilty and sentenced him to two years and six months in jail. The court ordered his immediate arrest.

Judge Kim Se-yoon said Choi took advantage of "long private ties" with Park to force companies to donate funds to foundations she controlled.

She accepted a total of 14 billion won (13 million US dollars) from telecommunications giant Samsung and retail conglomerate Lotte and "meddled in state affairs widely."

"The guilt of the accused is heavy," he added, and she had shown no repentance.

Choi is the daughter of Choi Tae-min, a religious figure who became Park Geun-hye's mentor after Park's mother was killed by an assassin’s bullet intended for her father, the then President Park Chung-hee in 1974.

Park was impeached last March and is in jail. She is on trial on charges of bribery, abuse of power and coercion. She has denied any wrongdoing.