Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak was ordered back to prison Thursday as the country’s Supreme Court upheld a 17-year jail term for bribery and embezzlement offenses. The conservative Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, had been out on bail awaiting the ruling and was not in court for the decision. ADVERTISEMENTThe ruling is not subject to further appeal and at age 78 means Lee is likely to die in prison unless he receives a presidential pardon. That will mean all four of South Korea’s living former presidents are either behind bars or have served jail terms — often as a result of investigations begun under successors who are political rivals. “There was no legal fallacy in the appellate court’s ruling on bribery and embezzlement,” the Supreme Court said in a statement.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 29, 2020 08:37 UTC