The prosecution on Thursday demanded a three-year jail term and 750 million ($707,464) in forfeiture against President Lee Myung-bak’s elder brother Lee Sang-deuk for bribery.
Last July, Lee, 78, was indicted and detained on charges that he received some 600 million won from a local savings bank from 2007 through 2011. The bank was at risk of suspension by the state regulator due to capital shortages.
His charges also included receiving 150 million won from a local firm, which the prosecution suspects was an illicit political donation.
As the president is considering granting a special pardon on the occasion of Lunar New Year’s Day next month before his term expires on Feb. 24, talk of the disgraced former lawmaker’s release has circulated.
The ruling Saenuri Party has spoken out against a pardon for Lee, saying that the president should exercise his rights in line with the public’s “common sense.”
By Song Sang-ho (
sshluck@heraldcorp.com)
