SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean court will convict Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s heir, Jay Y. Lee, on a bribery charge Monday, a ruling that is likely to affect his dominance over the tech giant as well as South Korea’s views on big business.
If Lee is jailed, he will be diverted from key decisions by Samsung Electronics while trying to get past rivals, and will be diverted from process oversight. a legacy from his father, who died in October, crucial to Samsung’s control.
If Lee remains free, he will be able to devote himself to the two while he seems to be looking back strongly claiming that South Korea’s legal process reveals unmerciful mercy. appropriate to chaebol, or family gatherings, criticized for excessive power consumption amid regulatory weaknesses.
Lee, 52, was convicted of bribing a companion of former President Park Geun-hye and was jailed for five years in 2017. He was denied, the sentence was reduced and dismissed on appeal, and was released after serving a year.
The Supreme Court then referred the case back to the Seoul High Court, which will rule on, and the verdict, Monday.
Under South Korean law, a term of three years or less may be suspended; for longer sentences, the person must have waited the term for a president’s pardon.
Prosecutors have called for a nine-year prison term.
If he is imprisoned, the year that Lee was already in custody will count towards the sentence, because that is how it is.
Monday’s sentence can be handed down to the High Court.
“In a case adjourned by the High Court, there is a narrower range of options for the judiciary … but it is also true that the High Court cannot call the final court sentence no matter what. “said Rha Seung-chul, a lawyer who is not involved in the case.
Reciting with Joyce Lee. Edited by Gerry Doyle