Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee |
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
An independent counsel will summon Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee today to question him on the conglomerate's alleged creation of slush funds, bribery and other irregularities.
It is the second time for the tycoon to be called in by prosecutors, following a case of illegal political donations in 1995.
His summons comes two days after the questioning of his wife Hong Ra-hee and about a month after that of his son, Jae-yong.
Assistant prosecutor Yoon Jeong-seok of the special investigation team said Thursday that the team requested Lee to present himself at 2 p.m. Friday.
``We have many things to question and confirm. We'll decide whether to summon him again according to the progress of the questioning,'' Yoon said.
The summons of Lee, the top decision maker of Samsung and key figure in the group's allegations, indicates the counsel's team has almost finished its probe. Now the issue will be whether the chairman will be charged.
Among the allegations, the counsel will focus on the alleged illegal transfer of wealth and the group's managerial control from the chairman to his son.
It is alleged that Jae-yong bought convertible bonds of Everland, Samsung's de facto holding company, at below-market prices and took over the group's managerial control. Lee will be asked about whether he orchestrated the illicit deal.
The counsel will also question him over the group's management of slush funds in stock accounts opened under false names.
The probe team confirmed earlier that Lee is the actual owner of Samsung Life Insurance shares registered under 11 former and incumbent Samsung executives' names, which account for 16.2 percent of the company's total shares, and another 1,300 Samsung Securities accounts opened under false names. Samsung claimed these were inherited from Lee's late father and the group founder Lee Byung-chul.
The counsel will question the chairman over whether he managed assets under the false names and whether he has paid due taxes.
The investigators will also interrogate him over the group's alleged bribery, as a Samsung whistleblower claimed that the chairman gave executives detailed lobbying directions.
Regarding the summons, Samsung gave no comment but that the chairman would faithfully respond to the questions.
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