They want to put the head of Samsung Electronics in prison again on an old case

After spending 19 months in prison, the grandson of Samsung Electronics founder Lee Jae-yong was released from prison under an amnesty in 2021, but his criminal prosecution did not end there. The capital court in South Korea found him not guilty in the case of the merger of two Samsung divisions, but the prosecutor’s office in its appeal insists on imprisoning the head of the company for a period of five years.

Image Source: Samsung Electronics

The Seoul Central District Court in February this year found Lee Jae-yong not guilty of manipulation charges related to the 2015 merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, which allowed him to strengthen his personal influence in the corporate capital structure. The prosecution continues to insist that the deal was carried out in violation of the interests of the companies’ minority shareholders and was accompanied by forgery of documents. Based on its results, according to the prosecutor’s office, Lee Jae-yong strengthened his influence as the future leader of the conglomerate.

Today in South Korea, hearings began on the appeal, which the prosecutor’s office sent to the court with a demand to review the results of the February hearing, which found Lee Jae-yong not guilty in this case. In April 2022, by decision of the President of South Korea, all criminal charges were dropped against the head of Samsung. Since the prosecutor’s office is counting on revenge, it is too early to put an end to this trial. The prosecution is pushing for a five-year prison term as punishment for Lee Jae-young’s misdeeds.