If ousted South Korean president Park Geun-hye is arrested this week, she will be sent to a solitary cell where she will be expected to rise at 6:30 a.m. and go to bed by 9 p.m.
SEOUL: If ousted South Korean president Park Geun-hye is arrested this week, she will be sent to a solitary cell where she will be expected to rise at 6:30am and go to bed by 9pm.
The only privilege she could have over other inmates will be slightly more space and a toilet and shower in an adjoining room, rather than within her cell, former correctional and prosecution officials said.
Park, moved out of the mammoth presidential Blue House just over two weeks ago, after the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment for conspiring with longtime friend Choi Soon-sil to raise millions of dollars for foundations from the country’s conglomerates.
Park is now in her private residence in an upscale Seoul neighbourhood but a local court will rule on Friday on a warrant seeking her arrest. If granted, the 65-year-old will be held in detention for 20 days while she is investigated and possibly indicted on charges that could imprison her for at least 10 years.
If arrested, as a former president she will be assigned a cell that will be larger than the 6.56 square meter (71 square foot) solitary units occupied by others accused of wrongdoing in the same scandal, including the head of the Samsung conglomerate, Jay Y. Lee.
“I think Park would stay in a better facility,” said Kim Kyung-soo, a retired prosecutor who interrogated two former military presidents, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, after their arrests in 1995 for treason and bribery.
“And she will use a bigger cell than those of others. “
Park will likely stay in a single cell in a remote building for security reasons to keep her separated from other inmates, the former prosecutors and prison officials said, but will be subject to the same rules on everything from meals to room inspections.
