Former South Korean president Park Geun-hye was sentenced to another eight years in prison on Friday for illegally taking state funds from the country's spy agency and interfering in elections.

Park is already serving another sentence resulting from an influence-peddling scandal. </s> South Korean ex-president Park gets 24 years in jail for abuse of power, bribery

A South Korean court has sentenced jailed former South Korean President Park Geun-hye to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws.

She now faces the prospect of more than three decades behind bars. She's already serving a 24-year prison term over a massive corruption scandal that led to her removal from office last year.

Seoul Central District Court on Friday found her guilty of unlawfully receiving about 3 billion won ($2.6 million) from chiefs of the National Intelligence Service during her presidency.

The court separately sentenced Park to two years in prison for breaking election laws by meddling in her party candidate's nomination ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2016.

She didn't appear in court on Friday. </s> SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former South Korean President Park Geun-hye to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws.

She now faces the prospect of more than three decades behind bars. She’s already serving a 24-year prison term over a massive corruption scandal that led to her removal from office last year.

Seoul Central District Court on Friday found her guilty of causing substantial losses to state coffers by unlawfully receiving about 3 billion won ($2.6 million) from chiefs of the National Intelligence Service during her presidency and sentenced her to six years in prison.

However, she was found not guilty of bribery charges related to the money transfers. The court said it was unclear whether the spy chiefs sought or received favors in return.

The court separately sentenced Park to two years in prison for breaking election laws by meddling in her party candidate’s nomination ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2016.

She didn’t appear in court.

While Park’s prison term currently adds up to 32 years, this could change, and potentially get even longer, depending on rulings of appeals courts. Following the earlier ruling in April, prosecutors appealed Park’s 24-year term on charges including bribery and abuse of state power and are now demanding 30 years in prison. The Seoul High Court will rule on the case on Aug. 24.

Following protests by millions, South Korean lawmakers impeached Park on December 2016. She was formally removed from office following a ruling by the country’s Constitutional Court in March last year and was arrested weeks later. </s> A South Korean court sentenced former president Park Geun-hye to eight more years in prison on Friday after finding her guilty on charges of causing loss of government funds and interfering in a 2016 parliamentary election.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Park, who has already received a 24-year jail term over separate corruption charges, colluded with her former aides to cause the loss of government funds worth about 30 billion won ($26.49 million) from the National Intelligence Service.

She was also found guilty of interfering in the ruling party's selection of candidates for the parliamentary election.

Park, 66, has denied wrongdoing and was not present in court. She was found guilty by a lower court in April of separate charges including bribery, abuse of power and coercion. </s> Former South Korean President Sentenced To 24 Years In Prison

A South Korean court has found former President Park Geun-hye guilty on multiple counts of abuse of power, bribery and coercion and sentenced her to 24 years in prison. </s> A South Korean court sentenced former president Park Geun-hye to eight more years in prison on Friday after finding her guilty on charges of causing loss of government funds and interfering in a 2016 parliamentary election.

 Park has already been sentenced to 24 years in jail after she was found guilty by a lower court in April of separate charges including bribery, abuse of power and coercion.

All sentences must be served consecutively if they are upheld, a court spokeswoman said.

Park became South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office last year when the Constitutional Court ordered her out over a scandal that exposed a web of corruption between political leaders and the country’s powerful conglomerates, or chaebol.

Park, 66, has denied wrongdoing and was not present in court.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Park colluded with her former aides to cause the loss of government funds worth about 30 billion won ($26.49 million) from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The money was from a “special activity fund” allocated to the spy agency, totalling 4 billion won every year but exempt from state audits or parliamentary reports. Two of the three former NIS directors involved were sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison last month, and the third to three years.

Park was also found guilty of interfering in the ruling party’s selection of candidates for the parliamentary election, breaching the president’s obligations to honour the party system.

“Park’s private use of the funds weakened the principles of executing government funds, and barred the country’s chief spy agency from using the funds for its core duty of protecting the country and the people,” presiding judge Seong Chang-ho said as he delivered the verdict.

“This even could have caused danger for the country and the people, so a rigorous punishment for the defendant is needed,” he said. An appeal against the ruling can be lodged, Seong said.

Prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence and an 80 billion won fine for Park.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been found guilty of bribery, abuse of power, and coercion. She was sentenced to 24 years in prison, though prosecutors initially requested 30 years.

The former leader previously denied any wrongdoing, and the sentence was announced in her absence. Park was accused of colluding with her friend Choi Soon-sil, who had been already sentenced to 20 years, in taking tens of millions of dollars from conglomerates.

The high-profile graft scandal led to the president’s impeachment in December 2016, and triggered massive protests across South Korea both supporting and condemning Park. </s> SEOUL: A South Korean court sentenced former president Park Geun-hye to eight more years in prison on Friday after finding her guilty on charges of causing loss of government funds and interfering in a 2016 parliamentary election.

Park has already been sentenced to 24 years in jail after she was found guilty by a lower court in April of separate charges including bribery, abuse of power and coercion.

All sentences must be served consecutively, a court spokeswoman said.

Park became South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be forced from office last year when the Constitutional Court ordered her out over a scandal that exposed a web of corruption between political leaders and the country's powerful conglomerates, or chaebol.

Park, 66, has denied wrongdoing and was not present in court. It was immediately unclear whether Park would appeal.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Park colluded with her former aides to cause the loss of government funds worth about 30 billion won (£20.35 million) from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The money was from a "special activity fund" allocated to the spy agency, totaling 4 billion won every year but exempt from state audits or parliamentary reports. Two of the three former NIS directors involved were sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison last month, and the third to three years.

Park was also found guilty of interfering in the ruling party's selection of candidates for the parliamentary election, breaching the president's obligations to remain politically neutral.

"Park's private use of the funds weakened the principles of executing government funds, and barred the country's chief spy agency from using the funds for its core duty of protecting the country and the people," presiding judge Seong Chang-ho said as he delivered the verdict.

"However, the defendant has shifted blame to her assistants and refused to appear in court," Seong said.

As the judge handed down the verdict, Park's supporters attending the trial reportedly shouted "Release the innocent president," and "Is this a law?"

Prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence and a 80 billion won fine for Park. </s> A South Korean court has sentenced disgraced ex-President Park Geun-hye to 24 years in prison over corruption scandal

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court has sentenced disgraced ex-President Park Geun-hye to 24 years in prison over corruption scandal.
Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye is sentenced to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws.