Ousted President Park stands trial on charges of bribery, abuse of power in case that rocked S Korea’s political elite.
South Korean prosecutors are seeking a 30-year jail term for ex-president Park Geun-hye in a corruption case which led to her impeachment, the Yonhap news agency reports.
Park, 66, was dismissed in March and is standing trial on charges of bribery, abuse of power and coercion in a case that has rocked the country’s business and political elite. She denies wrongdoing.
The prosecution’s recommendation came two weeks after Choi Soon-sil, a longtime friend of Park who was at the centre of the scandal, was jailed for 20 years for taking bribes from “chaebol”, or conglomerates, including electronics powerhouse Samsung and retail giant Lotte.
Prosecutors are also seeking a 118.5bn won ($127.1m) fine for Park, who has been detained since March 31 last year.
Park Seung-gil, a lawyer representing the former president, tearfully pleaded before Seoul Central District Court for mercy, saying Park had tried her hardest in leading the country “day and night”.
Park’s trial began in May and a verdict is expected before April in a case that brought scrutiny to the cosy ties between South Korea’s political leaders and its largest chaebol, the so-called “Republic of Samsung”.
