Former Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan has been sentenced to five years in prison for taking bribes from the nation's intelligence agency during his term. <br /> In addition to the jail sentence, the Seoul Central District Court fined Choi around 2-hundred-20-thousand U.S. dollars. <br />Choi, who is known for his close ties with ousted President Park Geun-hye, had earlier been found guilty of receiving nearly 90 thousand dollars from the National Intelligence Service in 2014.. in exchange for favors from the then-NIS chief. <br />
