VOA标准英语2008年-Iconic Former Samsung Chief Spared Prison Time

One of South Korea's most powerful business leaders has avoided a prison sentence for alleged¹ corruption². A South Korean court agrees the former chairman of Samsung evaded³ taxes, but it threw out more serious charges. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.
　
Former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, center, leaves Seoul Court House after trial in Seoul, 16 Jul 2008

A South Korean judge handed former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee a suspended jail sentence, Wednesday, for evading⁴ nearly $50 million in taxes by stashing⁵ money in subordinates' bank accounts.

However, the judge said the prosecution⁶ failed to prove Lee committed a breach⁷ of trust by improperly⁸ transferring control of the corporation to his son.

Prosecutors⁹ had hoped to send Lee to prison for up to seven years. They say his role in arranging the sale of Samsung assets to his son for bargain prices cost taxpayers¹⁰ and shareholders¹¹ massive amounts of money.

Samsung is the largest of South Korea's family owned conglomerates¹², a handful of which are the spine¹³ of the country's economy. Samsung, a world leader in electronics, accounts for about a fifth of all South Korean exports and employs a quarter of a million people.

Leaving the courtroom, former Chairman Lee made a public apology.

He says he is truly sorry to all citizens for the trouble he has caused.

The corruption case forced Lee's resignation, earlier this year, along with those of several other high-ranking executives. South Korean lawmakers ordered an independent investigation¹⁴ of the company, last year, after a former Samsung lawyer-turned-whistleblower accused the company of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on bribes¹⁵. Prosecutors have been unable to produce evidence supporting that allegation.

 

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 evaded   

逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出

参考例句：

• For two weeks they evaded the press. 他们有两周一直避而不见记者。
• The lion evaded the hunter. 那狮子躲开了猎人。

4 evading   

逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出

参考例句：

• Segmentation of a project is one means of evading NEPA. 把某一工程进行分割，是回避《国家环境政策法》的一种手段。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Too many companies, she says, are evading the issue. 她说太多公司都在回避这个问题。

5 stashing   

v.贮藏( stash的现在分词 )；隐藏；藏匿；藏起

参考例句：

6 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

7 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

8 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

9 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

10 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

11 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

12 conglomerates   

n.（多种经营的）联合大企业( conglomerate的名词复数 )；砾岩；合成物；组合物

参考例句：

• At the surface, radioactivity of the conglomerates is locally as high as 30 X background. 在地表，砾岩的局部地段的放射性高达30倍本底值。 来自辞典例句
• The conglomerates failed to understand that books could not be sold like soap. 这些联合大企业不懂卖书不象卖肥皂那样。 来自辞典例句

13 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

14 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

15 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏