Samsung did not immediately have comment but has in the past denied it ever paid bribes or sought improper favours from Park
South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye colluded with her friend Choi Soon-sil to receive bribes from Samsung Group aimed at cementing Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong’s control of the company, a special prosecutor said in a statement on Monday. The conclusion paved the way for state prosecutors to investigate Park if she is removed from office by the constitutional court reviewing her impeachment and possibly indict her for bribery and blacklisting artists and writers. In a statement detailing the findings of its investigation, the special prosecutor’s office said the National Pension Service voted in favour of a merger of two Samsung Group affiliates in 2015, despite anticipating a 138.8 billion won (US$119.87 million) loss. “Samsung Group vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong colluded with others including the corporate strategy office chief Choi Gee-sung to bribe the president and Choi Soon-sil with an aim to receive support for his succession by embezzling corporate funds,” special prosecutor Park Young-soo told a televised news conference, referring to the Samsung chief’s Korean name. President Park’s lawyer said on Monday that the special prosecutor’s charge against her was “fiction” and that she did not receive illicit favours from Samsung. “Future court proceedings will reveal the truth,” Samsung said in a statement, reiterating it did not pay bribes or make improper requests seeking favours.
