{"id":25613,"date":"2017-03-31T09:34:54","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T09:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=25613"},"modified":"2017-03-31T09:34:54","modified_gmt":"2017-03-31T09:34:54","slug":"ousted-south-korean-leader-behind-bars-arrest-bribery-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/ousted-south-korean-leader-behind-bars-arrest-bribery-charges.html","title":{"rendered":"Ousted South Korean leader behind bars after arrest on bribery charges"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tOusted South Korean leader behind bars after arrest on bribery charges<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>
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\n\tOusted South Korean leader behind bars after arrest on bribery charges:- Ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-hye was behind bars in the Seoul Detention Centre on Friday after her arrest, on charges including bribery, in a corruption scandal that has brought low some of the country's business and political elite.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a dramatic fall from power, Park, 65, became South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be thrown out of office. She is accused of colluding with a friend, Choi Soon-sil, to pressure big businesses to contribute funds to foundations that backed her policy initiatives.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tShe and Choi, who is already in custody and on trial, deny any wrongdoing.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the early hours of Friday, the Seoul Central District Court approved prosecutors' request for an arrest warrant for Park after she gave about eight hours of testimony.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tPark and her lawyers had argued that she should not be arrested because she did not pose a flight risk and would not try to tamper with evidence. But the court disagreed, and said she might try to manipulate evidence.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tJust before dawn, Park was driven to prison just outside Seoul in a black sedan, ashen-faced and flanked by two female officers in the back seat, her hair down apparently having removed the hairpins that held her hair in its usual classic chignon style.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tProsecutors now have 20 days to build their case while Park remains in detention.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tPark's removal from office capped months of paralysis and turmoil over the corruption scandal that also landed the head of the Samsung Group, South Korea's largest "chaebol", or family-run conglomerate, in detention and on trial.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe political upheaval comes at a time of rising tensions with North Korea over its weapons program and with China, which is angry over South Korea's decision to host a U.S. anti-missile defense system.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tPark's impeachment on March 10, which upheld a parliamentary vote in December, effectively left a political vacuum with only an interim president in place before a snap May 9 election.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tLiberal opposition politician Moon Jae-in is leading in opinion polls and is expected to win that election.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t"The arrest of the former president Park amounts to upholding the people's stern order to build a country where justice and common sense stand firm," Moon's spokesman, Park Kwang-on, said in a statement.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t"It is the first step to rebuilding a collapsed Republic of Korea," Park Kwang-on said, using South Korea's official name.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tProsecutors said on Monday Park was accused of soliciting companies for money and infringing upon the freedom of corporate management in her position as president.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tShe could face more than 10 years in jail if convicted of receiving bribes from chaebol bosses, including Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee, in return for favors.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tLee, who denies charges that he provided bribes in return for favors for Samsung, is in detention in the same facility as Park and on trial separately.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tSource:- <\/span><\/span>http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-southkorea-politics-idUSKBN17107B<\/span><\/p>\n

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