Samsung boss faces court date
SOUTH KOREA: Samsung’s de facto head, Lee Jae-yong, has been arrested on charges of bribery over his alleged role in an explosive corruption scandal that has riveted South Korea.
The 48-year-old heir apparent to the Samsung empire was taken into custody in Seoul yesterday after the courts, which had rejected a special prosecutor’s first request, granted a second request to issue a warrant for his detention.
This means that both the head of South Korea’s largest conglomerate and the country’s president have fallen - at least temporarily - in the widening scandal, which revolves around allegations of bribery and influence at the highest levels.
‘‘The rationale for and the necessity of his arrest is acknowledged considering the new charges and additional evidence collected,’’ Seoul Central District Court said.
In a one-line statement, Samsung said: ‘‘We will do our best to ensure that the truth is revealed in future court proceedings.’’
Prosecutors added charges of hiding criminal proceeds and violating the law on transferring assets overseas to their initial charges against Lee of bribery, embezzlement and perjury. In December, the court said that prosecutors had not made a sufficient case for Lee’s detention.
The case relates to an everwidening political scandal revolving around President Park Geunhye and her secret confidante, Choi Soon-sil, who is accused of profiting off her relationship with the president.
The National Assembly voted in December to impeach Park over her alleged role in the case, leading her to be suspended from office while the Constitutional Court decides whether to approve her impeachment. Its ruling is expected next month. Choi, who is currently on trial for bribery, coercion and abuse of power, has denied all charges. She is alleged to have extracted money from major South Korean businesses for using her connections to win favourable treatment from the government for the companies.
Samsung - upon Lee’s order - is accused of paying some US$36 million in bribes to Choi in exchange for the government’s support for a crucial merger of two Samsung affiliates in 2015. Lee is technically vice chairman of the group but has been running the company for almost three years while his ailing father lies unconscious in hospital. - Washington Post