Former South Korean President Lee Myung Bak has apologized to the country’s population before returning home after being released from prison, where he had been held since 2020 for corruption offenses, thanks to a presidential amnesty for health reasons.
«I am extremely sorry for the concern I have caused the people,» said the 81-year-old former leader, who suffers from diabetes and other chronic diseases, before entering his home in Seoul and ending a process that began with his initial detention in 2018.
In March of that year, Lee ended up in custody on charges of bribery and misappropriation before a 17-year prison sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2020, although the former leader had been hospitalized since June.
The amnesty not only exempts him from the remaining 15 years in prison but also from paying fines of around six million euros.
«I want to thank the many people, especially young people, who have supported me and prayed for me over the past five years,» he added in statements carried by the official South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Lee held the Korean Executive from 2008 to 2013, whose administration was marked by tensions with North Korea. The corruption charges against the leader stemmed from an investigation into his brother’s car company, through which the president was able to profit while in office, according to information compiled by Bloomberg.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
