23rd May, 2018
Former South Korean President Lee Myung Bak denied charges against him on the first day of his corruption trial on Wednesday.
“The 77-year-old claimed during the hearing that he was accused due to political motives,’’ the state media reported.
Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, has been indicted on several counts, including bribery, tax evasion and abuse of power.
“I feel deeply sad, the indictment is far-fetched.
“It is painful to fight against people whom I worked with leading this country,’’ he stressed.
He is suspected of accepting around 10.3 million dollars in bribes from groups, including the country’s own intelligence service as well as from Samsung Electronics, who covered several million dollars in legal expenses for a firm Lee is thought to own.
The trial came after April Park Geun Hye -Lee’s successor as president and a fellow party member, was sentenced to 24 years in prison on 16 counts of corruption, including abuse of power, bribery and leaking state secrets.
Lee is the fourth head of state in the country to be accused of corruption.