South Korean ex-president bags 15 years in jail over corruption

South Korean ex-president Lee Myung-bak has bagged a 15 years jail term for corruption, becoming the latest of the country’s ex-leaders to be sent to prison.

The 76-year-old CEO-turned-president, who served from 2008 to 2013, was found guilty on charges including bribery and embezzlement and ordered to pay a fine of $11.5 million.

The former South Korean leader was indicted in April on 16 charges that included bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of power.

The court found that Lee was the de-facto owner of DAS — a controversial auto parts company which he claimed was his brother’s — which he used to create slush funds of around $22m

“Bringing everything into consideration, heavy punishment for the accused is inevitable,” said a judge during the trial that was live televised.

Lee was not in attendance, citing ill-health.

Lee was also found guilty of accepting nearly $6m from Samsung Electronics in return for a presidential pardon for its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who was jailed for tax evasion.