Investigators of an independent counsel team raided the Samsung Group chairman's home Tuesday just hours after they raided Samsung's headquarters in a high-profile investigation into alleged bribery by the country's biggest conglomerate, sources said.
The raid came a day after the investigators searched Lee Kun-hee's private office adjacent to his home in an affluent residential area of Hannam-dong, central Seoul.
The search of Lee's home started at 11 a.m. and ended at around 3:30 p.m., a source said.
In the raid on the headquarters of Samsung Group, Samsung's strategic planning office, considered the heart of the conglomerate's management, was the main target, along with the office of Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo, which is in the same building, according to the sources.
Last week, an independent counsel launched the probe that must be concluded within 105 days. The probe is focused on whether Samsung amassed slush funds and regularly bribed prosecutors and government officials, as claimed by a former Samsung lawyer who made the allegations in November.
Kim Yong-chul, who worked at Samsung from 1997 to 2004, claimed that until 2000, he took part in creating over 7 trillion won ($7.5 billion) worth of slush funds for Samsung.
The accusation may even involve outgoing President Roh Moo-hyun. Officials from Roh's camp are accused of taking congratulatory money from Samsung just after Roh's election in late 2002.
The probe will also involve examining the 1996 murky transaction of Everland, an amusement theme park that is Samsung's de facto holding company. The low-priced sale of Everland convertible bonds allegedly helped Lee Kun-hee transfer wealth to his son and heir, Jae-yong.