Bribery retrial of Samsung scion begins

Reporters question Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, center, before he attended the first hearing of a bribery retrial at the Seoul High Court, Friday. In August, the Supreme Court ordered the appellate court to review its suspended jail sentence for Lee over bribing a confidant of ousted President Park Geun-hye. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Kim Hyun-bin

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong appeared at the Seoul High Court, Friday, for his bribery retrial on issues that led to the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.

It was the Samsung Electronics vice chairman's first return to the court since February last year, 627 days earlier, when he was given a suspended sentence on appeal.

“I feel very sorry for causing concern to many people,” Lee said after arriving at court at 9:29 a.m., 40 minutes before the hearing.

In August, the Supreme Court ordered the Seoul High Court to review Lee's suspended jail sentence because the highest court deemed that there could be more bribery charges, mainly in relation to donations and gifts sent to Park's close confidant Choi Soon-sil.

Lee did not reply when reporters asked about the final court ruling on the case and about management activities.

Citizens opposing and supporting the Samsung heir were at the court, with the former chanting “Samsung has to repent” while the latter cheered him on.

Lee Jae-yong.

The hearing lasted 40 minutes and Lee did not answer reporters' questions on the way out.

Wrapping up the hearing, Judge Jung Joon-young asked Lee to “accept and take responsibility for any ruling to come as the head of a company representing the country.”

Lee was initially sentenced to five years in jail in 2017 for giving bribes worth 3.6 billion won ($3.06 million) to Park's longtime friend Choi to seek the government's help in taking control of Samsung Group, succeeding his father Lee Kun-hee who has been hospitalized since 2014.

Lee Jae-yong was freed a year later after the Seoul High Court dismissed most of the bribery charges and reduced the sentence to two and a half years, suspended for four years.

However, the Supreme Court said the Samsung heir should have been tried for providing an additional 5 billion won in bribes to Choi, which the previous court ruling had excluded.

Samsung purchased three horses worth 3.4 billion won as a gift to Choi and the top court deemed it a bribe. The lower court excluded the presents as a bribe because Choi did not own the horses.

The Supreme Court also deemed as a bribe Samsung's 1.6 billion won donation to a sports foundation run by Choi's family, saying the donation was aimed at ensuring his smooth succession at Samsung.

In addition, the top court ordered a review of the lower court rulings on Park and Choi, who were sentenced to 25 years and 20 years respectively on corruption charges.

Seoul High Court will hold a hearing for Choi next Wednesday, while Park's court date has not been fixed.