A Seoul appellate court on Thursday commuted the sentence of an elder brother of former President Lee Myung-bak to one year and two months from two years on bribery charges.
  
Lee Sang-deuk, the former six-term lawmaker, was indicted on charges of receiving a total of 750 million won (US$654,165) in kickbacks from a local company and two troubled savings banks from 2007 to 2011.
   
Clearing the elder Lee of charges that he received 300 million in bribes from Kim Chan-kyong, the former chief of Mirae Savings Bank, the Seoul High Court sentenced him to 14 months behind bars.
   
"Kim's statement is the only evidence presented to the court that substantiates that Lee received 30 million won from Kim Chan-kyong," Judge Moon Yong-seon said in his ruling, adding that Kim's statement lacks credibility.
  

In the same ruling, the court also commuted a prison term for Rep. Chung Doo-un of the ruling Saenuri Party to 10 months, two months lighter than the one-year term delivered by a lower court.
   
The Seoul High Court cleared Chung, the former close aide to ex-President Lee, of charges that he received 30 million won from Lim.
(Yonhap News)