JUST IN: South Korea President Sentenced To 17 Years In PRISON For BRIBERY

​The Supreme Court of South Korea on Thursday upheld a 17-year prison term for ​former President Lee Myung-bak ​and ordered him sent back to prison.

Mr. Lee, who was president from 2008 to 2013, ​was expected to be taken to prison in a few days, making him the second former South Korean president behind bars​ on corruption charges. Mr. Lee’s successor, Park Geun-hye, who was impeached and ousted on charges of ​bribery and abuse of power, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by an appeals court in 2018.

That same year, ​​Mr. Lee was ​arrested on bribery and embezzlement charges. He was successfully convicted in lower courts, but has been out on bail in recent months while waiting for the Supreme Court’s final say on his case, which he had appealed.

In October 2018, a Seoul district court sentenced Mr. Lee to 15 years in prison, convicting him of collecting 8.5 billion won​, or $7.5 million, in bribes from various sources most of it from Samsung, the country’s largest business conglomerate when he was a presidential candidate and after he took office.