Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's Trial to Begin on the 22nd of Next Month

Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The trial procedure for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who has been indicted on suspicion of illegal succession of management rights, will begin next month.

According to the court on the 7th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25-2 (Chief Judge Lim Jeong-yeop) will hold Lee's first pretrial conference on the afternoon of the 22nd of next month. The pretrial conference is a procedure where the court listens to the prosecution and defense's plans for evidence presentation and selects necessary evidence and witnesses before the formal trial begins. Since the defendant is not required to attend, Lee is expected not to appear in court.

Earlier on the 1st, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Economic Crime Criminal Division (then Chief Prosecutor Lee Bok-hyun) indicted 11 people, including current and former Samsung executives such as Lee, without detention on charges of unfair trading practices and market manipulation under the Capital Markets Act, and breach of duty. The prosecution believes that during the 2015 merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, accounting fraud for Lee's succession of management rights was systematically planned and carried out under the leadership of the former Samsung Future Strategy Office.

On the other hand, Lee's side argues, "The merger was a legal business activity carried out out of managerial necessity," and "The prosecution has conducted the investigation with the goal of indicting Lee from the beginning." Recently, many special prosecutors who defended Lee during the investigation phase have resigned en masse. It is known that Lee will form a new defense team composed of former judges in preparation for the trial.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.