[Yonhap Photo]
A former health minister was given a 30-month jail sentence for helping the controversial merger of two Samsung Group units at the request of South Korea's jailed ex-president Park Geun-hye, dealing a blow to her legal battle.
In 2015, Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T were merged in a deal that helped the group's ruling family cement its cross-ownership structure and accelerate the transfer of leadership from the bedridden father of Samsung Electronics vice chairman Jay Y. Lee.
Prosecutors contend that with Park's help, Samsung received preferential treatment from the Fair Trade Commission, an anti-trust watchdog.
On Thursday, a Seoul court found Moon Hyung-pyo, who served as health minister under Park, guilty of abusing power to pressure the state-run National Pension Service to approve the merger.
Lee, 48, was arrested in February on multiple charges including bribery and embezzlement. Prosecutors regard his conviction as instrumental in bringing bribery and other charges against Park.
Lee was accused of donating some 43 billion won to Park's crony Choi Soon-sil, who is on trial for meddling in state affairs and pocketing corporate money. Samsung is suspected of bankrolling the equestrian training of Choi's daughter. He has insisted that no strings have been attached to Samsung's cash donation.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
