A South Korean appeals court on Friday sentenced former President Park Geun-hye to 25 years in jail, Yonhap news agency reported, in a case arising from a far-reaching corruption scandal that toppled her in 2017.

Park became South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be forced from office when the Constitutional Court removed her over a scandal that landed the heads of two conglomerates in jail.

The Seoul High Court found that Park colluded with her friend, Choi Soon-sil, to receive tens of billions of won from major conglomerates to help Choi's family and fund nonprofit foundations owned by her, Yonhap reported, citing the court.