A South Korean court has dismissed an arrest warrant against Jay Y. Lee, also known as Lee Jae-yong. Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Group, has led the conglomerate since his father, Lee Kun-hee, suffered a heart attack in 2014.
A Reuters report said
Lee “was still likely to face the same charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury, legal analysts said, even if he is not detained.” The charges are part of a corruption scandal that has led to the impeachment of South Korean Preisdent Park Geun-hye.
Lee is accused of paying bribes to a friend of Park's to gain support from the National Pension Service for a controversial merger in 2015 of two Samsung Group affiliates that helped seal Lee's control over the conglomerate, the article said.
The court's decision “angered many, including members of the left-wing opposition Democratic Party, which said the decision ran counter to public sentiment,” the Reuters report said. “Samsung and its leader have been dogged by protest in recent weeks as the graft probe advanced, with some calling for Lee's immediate arrest.” (Source: Reuters, Jan. 19, 2017.)
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