Ex-S Korean president Lee slams ‘insult’

SEOUL: Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday defiantly described the corruption charges he faces as an "insult" at his first court appearance since his arrest in March.

The 76-year-old former CEO turned president -- who served from 2008 to 2013 -- faces multiple charges including bribery, abuse of power, embezzlement, and tax evasion. The case against Lee means all four former South Korean presidents who are still alive have been charged or convicted for criminal offences.

TV footage showed Lee, wearing a dark blue suit with a badge with his inmate number "716" pinned to the lapel, being led into a courtroom in Seoul. He was uncuffed due to his advanced age.

"I stand here broken-hearted," Lee said in his opening statement. He has been charged with accepting a total of some 11 billion won ($10.2 million) in bribes between late 2007 when he was elected president and 2012, according to prosecutor documents.

These allegations include claims that the Samsung Group bought a presidential pardon in 2009 for its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who had been convicted of tax evasion and given a suspended jail sentence.

"I was appalled by the allegations that I received bribes from Samsung in return for a presidential pardon," Lee said. "This is an insult to me," he added. He claimed he had given the Samsung chief, then a member of the International Olympic Committee, a special pardon so that he could lead efforts to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, which eventually took place in Pyeongchang.

Samsung allegedly paid six billion won ($5.6 million) in legal fees to a US law firm on Lee’s behalf. The firm was representing DAS, an auto parts company which prosecutors claim Lee owns in his relatives’ names, which was involved in a costly court battle with a US businessman at the time. Both Samsung and Lee have denied the allegations, saying they are groundless.