Samsung heir suspect in S. Korean scandal
Seoul, Jan. 11: Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong has become a criminal suspect in a widening probe into the corruption and influence-peddling scandal engulfing impeached South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Mr Lee, vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics and the son of the Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-Hee, would be quizzed as a “suspect” in connection to bribery, prosecutors said.
“We have decided to question Lee on Thursday morning... as a suspect,” Lee Kyu-Chul, spokesman for the team of special prosecutors investigating the scandal, told reporters.
The affair centres on President Park’s secret confidante Choi Soon-Sil, who is accused of using her ties to Ms Park to coerce top firms into “donating” tens of millions of dollars to two non-profit foundations which Choi then used as her personal ATMs.
Samsung was the biggest contributor to the foundations. It is also accused of separately giving millions of euros to Choi to bankroll her daughter’s equestrian training in Germany in a bid to curry favour.
Prosecutors have for months questioned Mr Lee and other senior Samsung officials. The officials reportedly argued that although they were coerced to offer money, they sought no favours in return and thus the payments were not a bribe.
Spokesman Lee said prosecutors “left open the possibility” of formally arresting the Samsung scion later.
A Samsung Group spokeswoman declined to comment on the issue but said the company was closely following the probe.
Prosecutors are investigating whether Samsung bribed Choi in order to win state approval for a controversial merger which it sought in 2015.
Prosecutors have raided multiple Samsung offices in connection with the scandal. —
SAMSUNG is accused of giving donations to non-profit foundations operated by Choi Soon-sil, a confidante of President Park Geun-hye
THE donations were allegedly made in exchange for political support of a controversial merger