A South Korean court has found billionaire Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong guilty of bribery and other crimes.
A South Korean court has sentenced the billionaire Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong to five years in prison after finding him guilty of offering bribes to the country’s former president and other crimes.
It said Lee was also guilty of embezzlement, hiding assets overseas, concealing profit from criminal acts, and perjury.
The court said Lee hoped bribes for Park Geun-hye at the time she was president and her close friend Choi Soon-sil would secure government support for a merger that strengthened Lee’s control over the Samsung empire and its flagship Samsung Electronics at a crucial time.
A lawyer for Lee said the defence team would not accept the court ruling to jail Lee for five years for bribery and will appeal against the decision.
“We are confident the ruling will be overturned, ” lawyer Song Wu-cheol told reporters after the ruling by the Seoul Central District Court.
More to come
With AAP
