Samsung De Facto Leader Bribery Case

Samsung Group will finally determine on Thursday, the future of its de facto leader. South Korea’s Supreme Court will eventually rule whether to push the bribery conviction of Jay Y. Lee. Previously, he was in involved in a scandal, which unseated the president and trained public ire on corporate untouchables.

Aside from that, the ruling for Lee will reveal how much he can concentrate on guiding the group’s flagship Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. And this is through its dropping profitability and Japanese export curbs on material, which is crucial for the leading chipmaker worldwide.

In 2017, Samsung Electronics’ vice chairman Jay Y. Lee faced five-year imprisonment. They arrested Lee for bribing his friend, former President Park Geun-Hye. He asked to succeed his father and secure control of Samsung Group.

But after a year, he got out of detention when appellate Seoul High Court cut his sentence and suspended it for four years. Lee, who denies all accusations, and prosecutors appealed again.

Samsung Ex-President’s Bribery Case

Then, the Supreme Court sets to rule on appeals court decisions in the case of Park, impeached after the scandal and is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence. Also, a decision for her friend Choi Soon-Sil, imprisoned for 20 years. The two of them are facing bribery and other charges.

In addition to that, Lee became the latest in a series of conglomerate bosses convicted for corruption with a lenient sentence. As a result, this drew public calls for reform of big businesses always criticized for having incredibly close relationships with political leaders.

According to some legal experts, the Supreme Court has the power to uphold Lee’s conviction and suspended sentence. It can also appeal to the Seoul High Court to reconsider its judgment. And this might lead to the conviction overturning or a stronger punishment.