'Propofol Administration' Allegation in Lee Jae-yong Case, Drug Task Force Court Reviews

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The trial of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who was indicted on charges of illegal propofol use, will be heard by a special drug court.

According to the legal community on the 30th, the Seoul Central District Court assigned Lee's case, indicted for violating the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances), to Judge Jang Young-chae (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 37) of Criminal Division 11, which handles drug, environmental, food, and health crimes.

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 used the psychotropic drug propofol at a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam, Seoul.

Lee denied the charges, claiming that he received treatment based on professional medical opinions and that it was not illegal use. He requested the convening of a Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee, which recommended halting the investigation but rejected the suspension of prosecution due to an equal vote on indictment. The prosecution filed a summary indictment on the 4th, concluding that he used propofol beyond medical purposes.

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

Lee, currently serving a prison sentence for the state manipulation scandal, will face another trial following the ongoing 'unfair merger and accounting fraud' case.

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