Seoul – A South Korea’s lower court on Thursday sentenced an influential opposition lawmaker and former governor to two-and-a-half years in prison for accepting illegal political funds.
He was also ordered to forfeit 317 million won (262,333 dollars)
The verdict could cause him to lose his parliamentary seat.
The Seoul Southern District Court found Rep. Park Joon-young of the People’s Party guilty of violating laws on election and political funds.
Park, who served as South Jeolla governor for three terms, was convicted of receiving 352 million won from a lawmaker aspirant as a donation for party nomination ahead of parliamentary elections in April.
The court said considering Park’s political career and status, the donation was likely to have influenced the party’s selection of candidates for proportional representatives.
If the ruling is upheld by the country’s highest court, Park will lose his seat at the National Assembly under a law that ends parliamentary membership for lawmakers sentenced to a jail term or fined more than one million won.