'Third Final Statement' Lee Jae-yong, Will He Reaffirm Commitment to 'Samsung Compliance Management'?

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will deliver his third and final statement related to the National Pension Scandal trial on the 30th. Vice Chairman Lee is expected to once again explain to the court his commitment to 'Samsung's compliance management,' which was mentioned as a mitigating factor for sentencing.

According to business and legal circles on the 30th, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will express his reflections and feelings about the trial through his final statement during the decision hearing of the retrial on bribery charges related to the National Pension Scandal, held at around 2:05 PM under the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Jung Jun-young).

The defendant's final statement is a right guaranteed by the Criminal Procedure Act immediately after the prosecution's sentencing recommendation and the defense counsel's final argument. Vice Chairman Lee is known to have organized his position for the statement at this trial.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Since the Supreme Court's full bench ruled in August last year that the bribery was implicit, legal and business circles expect Vice Chairman Lee to emphasize sincere reflection and introspection over the past year rather than denying the charges in his final statement.

Earlier, at the first hearing of the retrial in October last year, the court mentioned Chairman Lee Kun-hee's New Management Declaration in Frankfurt and asked what Vice Chairman Lee's new management entails. In particular, the court urged Vice Chairman Lee to establish a sustainable compliance management system for Samsung and to fulfill his role as the group’s head diligently.

In response, Vice Chairman Lee consistently visited domestic and overseas business sites over the past year, during which the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the world, emphasizing innovation amid the crisis and practicing on-site management. Following the court's instructions, the Samsung Compliance Committee was newly established to strengthen the compliance monitoring system and to operate independently under the committee's authority.

In particular, in May, Vice Chairman Lee accepted the Compliance Committee's recommendation and held a public apology press conference, declaring, "I will not pass Samsung's management rights to my children," "I will ensure that the term 'no union management' is no longer associated with Samsung," and "I will communicate more with civil society."

Meanwhile, on the same day, the special prosecution's sentencing recommendation and the defense counsel's final argument for Vice Chairman Lee are also scheduled to proceed. The defense counsel is expected to argue that Vice Chairman Lee's bribery charges were made under the demands of those in power, and appeal to the court to consider favorably as mitigating factors that Vice Chairman Lee personally visited global sites during the COVID-19 crisis to enhance Samsung's position and strengthened Samsung's compliance management activities, as ordered by the court.

On the other hand, the special prosecution, which requested a 12-year prison sentence for Vice Chairman Lee in the first and second trials, is expected to make a similar sentencing recommendation this time as well.

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