A Seoul court on Friday slashed former president Park Geun-hye's prison terms by 10 years, in what should be the final ruling over the corruption scandal that brought her down.
The country's first female president was impeached in 2017 after huge street protests against her rule.
She had been serving a combined 30-year jail term for bribery, abuse of power and receiving money from the national spy agency, AFP reported.
But on appeal the Seoul High Court sentenced Park to 15 years in prison for bribery and a further five years on the other charges.
She now faces a total of 22 years behind bars and she would be in her late 80s by the time her sentence is up.
Park "failed to fulfil her constitutional obligations as a President", but did not use the illegally gained funds for her personal benefit, the judges said in a statement.
She was also fined and ordered to forfeit a total of 21.5 billion won ($17.9 million) -- a slight reduction on her previous penalty.
The decision comes after an extended legal process involving multiple trials and appeals going as far as the Supreme Court.
Park has been boycotting the proceedings, saying they are biased against her, and was not present in court on Friday.
South Korean presidents have a tendency to end up in prison after their time in power, usually once their political rivals have moved into the presidential Blue House.
All four of South Korea's living presidents have been convicted of criminal offences, although Park's predecessor Lee Myung-bak was granted bail earlier this year.
