韩国前总统李明博因贪腐获刑15年

Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak has been jailed for 15 years for corruption.

近日，韩国前总统李明博因贪污腐败被判入狱15年。

Lee was sentenced in a Seoul court last Friday on charges of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power, and ordered to pay a 13 billion won fine.

上周五，李明博因涉嫌贿赂、贪污和滥用权力而在首尔法院被判刑，并被勒令支付130亿韩元的罚款。

The former president claims the charges are politically motivated.

这位前总统称这些指控是出于政治动机。

He becomes the fourth South Korean former leader to be jailed, following his successor's imprisonment in April.

继4月份他的继任朴槿惠被监禁之后，他成为第四位被判入狱的韩国前领导人。

Lee was not present at the sentencing, blaming poor health.

李明博本人以健康状况不佳为由没有出席此次判决。

The judge at Seoul Central District Court said "heavy punishment for the accused is inevitable" because of the serious nature of the crimes.

首尔中央地方法院的法官称，由于犯罪的严重性，“对被告的严厉惩罚是不可避免的”。

The court found the former leader accepted billions of won from major electronics firm Samsung in return for pardoning its chairman, Lee Kun-hee. The company denies having given the former president the money.

该法院认定这位前领导人收受了电子公司三星数十亿韩元，以此作为赦免其董事长李健熙的答谢。不过三星方面否认给了李明博这笔钱。