Crown Prince Samsung was arrested in court, sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for bribery

On January 18, the Seoul High Court (Korea) sentenced Mr. Lee Jae Yong (52 years old), vice chairman of Samsung Group, for bribing Ms. Park and her longtime close friend Choi Soon Sil to win her favor. government support in succeeding and securing control of Samsung.

Yonhap news agency reported that Mr. Lee, present at the court hearing on the morning of January 18, was taken into custody shortly after the court handed down the sentence. Thus, less than 3 years after being released with a suspended sentence, now the heir of Samsung Group has to return to prison. Reuters quoted a prison official as saying that it is likely that Mr. Lee will return to the Seoul Detention Center on the outskirts of the South Korean capital. Upon arrival, he will be tested for COVID-19.

If the results are negative, he will be transferred to a solitary confinement room to be isolated for 3 weeks. If positive, Mr. Lee will go to the treatment center. Prison officials said Mr. Lee's cell was a 5 square meter room with a toilet, a sink and a mattress on the floor. After the end of 3 weeks of isolation, Mr. Lee will be tested again.

In February 2017, prosecutors accused Mr. Lee of offering bribes totaling 29.8 billion won ($27.4 million) and promised to pay more later.

In the 2017 ruling, the court initially sentenced Mr. Lee to five years in prison for providing 7.2 billion won ($6.6 million) for her daughter Choi's equestrian training and a 1.6 million dollar grant. billion won ($1.5 million) for a sports fund run by the Choi family.

Former President Park was also impeached and removed from office on charges of corruption and abuse of power in this case.

Mr. Lee was freed in 2018 after an appeals court reduced his term to two and a half years of probation. In August 2020, the Korean Supreme Court said that the appellate court had underestimated the amount of bribes and ordered a retrial of the case.

The verdict on the morning of January 18 has dashed the hopes of Lee's supporters as well as other Samsung leaders, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. They are the ones who have asked the court for leniency against Samsung Group, citing Mr. Lee's role in helping to overcome the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In contrast, anti-corruption activists in South Korea welcomed the Seoul court's ruling. Activists have asked the judiciary to show firmness in dealing with shady ties between industry and political elites.

The verdict is expected to have a big impact on Mr. Lee's power at Samsung Group, and change the view of Korean people towards the country's leading business empires, according to news from the Korean People's Army. CNBC.

According to experts, with this sentence, Mr. Lee, often referred to as the "Samsung Crown Prince", could be excluded from the process of making major business decisions at Samsung Electronics as well as the process of transferring power from other people. birth father Lee Kun Hee - who passed away in October 2020. These are the crucial factors that help him maintain power in the Samsung empire.

Mr. Lee was sentenced to five years in prison in 2017, but was later halved. This billionaire spent about a year in prison, then was delayed in execution and released on bail in 2018. However, in August 2020, the Korean Supreme Court rejected this decision and returned the case to the High Court. Seoul High - the court ruled on January 18.

Under Korean law, only sentences of less than three years can be deferred. With longer sentences, the accused must serve, unless pardoned by the president. Mr. Lee is expected to be deducted a year previously served.

According to legal experts, the Seoul High Court's verdict can be appealed to the Supreme Court, but since the Supreme Court has heard it once, the chance of a change of sentence for Mr. Lee is limited. very low.

Earlier, South Korean prosecutors had recommended a nine-year prison sentence for Mr. Lee in a shocking bribery case that sparked a wave of public criticism against the country's most powerful corporation. In addition, Mr. Lee is also accused of violating capital markets law and abusing his position in another case related to a controversial merger of Samsung in 2015.

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