Special Prosecutor Demands 9-Year Prison Sentence for Lee Jae-yong... "Key Figure in the National Affairs Manipulation Case" (2nd Report)

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is heading to the courtroom to attend the continued trial of the 'state affairs manipulation' case remanded for retrial at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu on the afternoon of the 30th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho, Gimin Lee] On the 30th, the special prosecution team led by Park Young-soo requested a 9-year prison sentence for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong in the retrial of the 'state manipulation' case.

At the sentencing hearing held on the same day before the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul High Court (Chief Judge Jung Jun-young), the special prosecution asked the court to sentence Vice Chairman Lee to 9 years in prison and to confiscate the horse Rausing, which was provided as a bribe to Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil) using Samsung Electronics funds. The prosecution also requested 7 years in prison for former Future Strategy Office President Jang Chung-gi, former Samsung Electronics Future Strategy Office Chief Choi Ji-sung, and former Samsung Electronics President Park Sang-jin, and 5 years in prison for former Samsung Electronics Executive Director Hwang Seong-su, all indicted on the same charges.

The special prosecution stated, "This case is at the core of the state manipulation scandal," adding, "The main perpetrators related to the state manipulation case, including former President Park Geun-hye and Choi Seo-won, have all been sentenced to heavy penalties, underscoring the urgent need for the principles of the rule of law and equality." They further pointed out, "There is a saying that Korean companies are divided into Samsung and non-Samsung, reflecting the overwhelming power held by the group," and emphasized, "For the healthy development of our society, Samsung must show a firm stance against corruption and set an example." The prosecution also noted, "During the course of the state manipulation crimes, Samsung was more proactive and committed crimes more easily than other companies with less influence or power, and showed attempts to evade responsibility."

Vice Chairman Lee was tried on charges of requesting former President Park and Choi to assist with the succession of group management rights and providing bribes in return. The first trial found some of Lee’s charges guilty and sentenced him to 5 years in prison, while the appellate court acquitted a significant portion of the amount deemed guilty in the first trial and sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 4-year probation. In August last year, the Supreme Court overturned the appellate court’s decision, ruling that some amounts previously acquitted should be considered guilty, and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court.

The retrial of Vice Chairman Lee, which began with the first hearing in October last year, was temporarily suspended in January this year after the special prosecution filed a motion to disqualify the presiding judges. The prosecution opposed the court’s intention to reflect the effectiveness of the compliance committee in Lee’s sentencing, claiming that the court was conducting the trial with preconceived notions. However, the Supreme Court dismissed the prosecution’s disqualification motion in September, and the retrial resumed in October.

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