Lee Jae-yong Formally Referred to Trial for 'Propofol Administration'... Prosecutors Request (Comprehensive)

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

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon, Cho Sung-pil] Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, who was summarily indicted on charges of illegal propofol administration, will face a formal trial.

According to the legal community on the 29th, the Seoul Central District Court referred Lee's case, who was summarily indicted the day before for violating the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances), to a formal trial. The panel to hear the case has not yet been decided.

Lee was initially summarily indicted with a fine of 50 million won. He was investigated after a public interest report was filed with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission alleging that he habitually administered propofol, a psychotropic drug, at a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam, Seoul.

Lee denied the charges, stating that he only received treatment based on professional medical opinions and that it was not illegal administration. He requested the convening of the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee, which recommended stopping the investigation but rejected the decision on prosecution due to an equal number of votes for and against. Ultimately, the prosecution summarily indicted him on the 4th, concluding that he administered propofol for non-medical purposes.

Subsequently, the prosecution received another propofol-related case involving Lee from the police and began an investigation, applying to the court on the 17th to proceed with the regular procedure. A prosecution official stated, "We applied for the formal trial procedure to review the necessity of amending the indictment based on the results of the ongoing investigation of similar cases."

Lee, who is currently serving a prison sentence for the state power abuse case, will now face another trial in addition to the ongoing 'unfair merger and accounting fraud' case. Above all, amid recent discussions about pardon or parole around Liberation Day, the added burden of another trial is seen as a significant setback in various respects.

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