A South Korean court has sentenced the friend of former leader Park Geun-hye, who was at the centre of an influence-peddling scandal, to 20 years in jail.
Choi Soon-sil, a confidante of Park, was convicted of receiving bribes from South Korean conglomerates including Samsung, the world’s biggest maker of smartphones and semiconductors, and the Lotte Group.
Choi’s lawyer said the verdict was ‘too harsh’ and will file an appeal.
The court also sentenced chairman of Lotte, the country’s fifth-largest conglomerate, Shin Dong-bin, to two years and six months in prison and ordered his immediate arrest.
Shin was in court and taken into custody on the same day
