The Seoul High Court sentenced Park 66 and ordered her to pay a 20 billion won ($17 million) fine reports Yonhap News Agency.
She was earlier sentenced to 24 years in jail and assessed 18 billion won in fines by a lower court on April 6 for conspiring with her long-time confidant Choi Soon-sil into forcing big conglomerates including Samsung to donate 77.4 billion won to two foundations under Choi s control.
The scandal led to her impreachment in March last year.
Prosecutors maintained their demand for a 30-year jail term and a 118.5 billion won fine for Park on July 20.
The court will soon deliver its rulings on Choi and Ahn Jong-beom Park s former chief policy aide in the same trial. They were sentenced to 20 years and six years in prison respectively.
Park was not present at the trial. She has been boycotting what she calls "politically motivated" court proceedings since last October when the court extended her pre-sentencing detention.
She has criticised the judiciary and prosecution for not handling her case fairly.
--IANS ksk
