South Korea's Lotte Group founder jailed for embezzlement, corruption
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A Seoul court on Friday found Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin guilty of breach of trust and sentenced him to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, leaving him free to try and revive the conglomerate after steep losses in China.
The Seoul Central District Court cleared the executive of some counts of breach of trust and also of embezzlement.
"I apologise to the public," Shin said as he left court, without commenting further.
The ruling will come as a relief to the retail-to-chemicals group at the end of a difficult year during which it became the highest-profile corporate victim of a Beijing-Seoul spat over South Korea's installation of a U.S. missile defence system.
South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate said, "We respect the court's decision. Lotte Group executives and employees will further unite to contribute to economic progress and do our best to meet our social responsibility."
The prosecution did not have an immediate comment. Legal experts said the prosecution was likely to appeal.
Shin is the subject of another ongoing trial related to a bribery scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye. Prosecutors are seeking a four-year jail term and a fine of 7 billion won ($6.49 million).
In the meantime, Friday's ruling means Lotte, with 110.8 trillion won worth of assets, avoids a leadership vacuum for the time being as it navigates mounting China losses and an uncertain recovery.
Shunned in China, its key market, after it was pressed by Seoul to provide land for the THAAD missile defence system, Lotte's third-quarter China hypermarket sales were nearly wiped out to about $278,000 from around $264 million a year earlier.
Nearly all Lotte Mart stores in China have been shut for much of the year with local authorities citing fire safety issues, and the group has now put the business up for sale.
But the sale is likely to be delayed past the end-2017 deadline Lotte had sought, Lotte Corp official Choi Min-ho said, without giving a reason.
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