Former South Korean president, Park Geun-Hye will not appeal her 24-year prison sentence for corruption, the Yonhap news agency reported on Monday citing court officials.
On April 6, a judge at Seoul District Court found Geun-Hye guilty on 16 of 18 counts of graft including abuse of power, bribery and leaking state secrets.
Park, 66, filed a document with the court waiving her right to appeal, indicating that she will continue her boycott of the trial which she has described as a “political vendetta,” Yonhap reported.
Although Geun-Hye is not appealing, prosecutors have filed their own appeal against the verdict, saying she was inappropriately cleared of some charges. Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence.
Geun-Hye was accused of allowing her close friend Choi Sil too much access to government business – Sil held no official post – and of helping her friend to extort money from top companies including Samsung.
She has always denied the accusations.
After being elected to the National Assembly five times, Geun-Hye won the presidency in 2012, the first woman to hold the position.
She was impeached over the scandal in December 2016.
NAN
