Samsung head questioned again in S. Korea graft probe
February 13, 2017
Samsung head Lee Jae-yong has once again appeared before prosecutors as part of South Korea's political corruption probe. Investigators are reportedly considering a second arrest warrant against the Samsung heir.
Image: Reuters/J. Yeon-Je
Advertisement
The vice chairman and heir of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong, on Monday faced a second round of questioning as part of an influence-peddling scandal that has rocked South Korea's government and threatens to topple President Park Geun-hye.
Lee told reporters as he entered the prosecution office in Seoul: "I will once again tell the truth to the special prosecution."
Lee is accused of "donating" 43 million won ($37.3 million) to nonprofit foundations run by Park's confidante Choi Soon-sil in a bid to receive favors from the president in return. Prosecutors are investigating whether the payments made by Samsung, South Korea's largest industrial group, were part of a bid to secure official approval for a controversial 2015 merger between two of the firm's units.
South Korea's unending political crisis
Despite the impeachment of President Park, the political crisis in S. Korea is far from over. While the protesters continue to demand Park's resignation, the scandal has spilled over into the highest levels of business.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Jin-man
Extortion and manipulation
On Monday, a Danish court extended the detention of Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the centre of a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of Park Geun-hye, South Korea's president. Choi is accused of influencing government policy and getting rich through extortion and manipulation.
Image: Reuters/K. Hong-Ji
South Korea's 'Rasputin'
Choi is in custody on charges of meddling in state affairs without holding a government position and using her connections with the president to extort vast sums of money from many of South Korea's best-known companies. Beyond the legal charges, she is being blamed for both effectively bringing down the government of President Park and leaving her reputation and political legacy in tatters.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Chung Sung-Jun
Defiance
Last month, Park did not turn up to testify in a court case which will decide her future. The president was impeached over a multifaceted corruption scandal in December.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Yonhap
Fall from grace
After her impeachment, Park Geun-hye is regarded both as a perpetrator and a victim. Her future is uncertain as the country struggles to recover from a political scandal.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Jeon Heon-Kyun
Calls for early elections
Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets since the start of the corruption scandal, calling on President Park to step down. South Korea's Constitutional Court is deciding whether to formally unseat Park or restore her power. If she is forced out, a new election would be held within two months to choose her successor.
Image: Reuters/K. Hong-Ji
Scandal reaches top of the 'chaebols'
South Korea's corruption scandal has spilled over into the highest levels of business. The vice-chairman of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong, was questioned last month by investigators who are seeking evidence that he paid bribes to Choi Soon-sil. Given the economic and political importance of Samsung in South Korea, if Lee is indicted, it could be on the same level of President Park's impeachment.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Yeon-Je
The split
In December, a group of lawmakers from South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party abandoned Park to form a new party, tentatively named the New Conservative Party for Reform (NCPR). The party infighting is another blow to Park.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/EPA/Yonhap/YNA
Ban drops out of presidential race
Former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has declared that he won't run for South Korea's presidency. He had been expected to seek the position after a corruption scandal saw President Park impeached. The newly-formed NCPR was hoping that Ban would join their ranks.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Young-joon
8 images1 | 8
The merger reportedly smoothed the transition of ownership over to Lee from his father. While still technically the vice chairman, Lee Jae-yong effectively took over the helm of Samsung after his father suffered a heart attack in 2014.
All parties have denied the bribery charges.
South Korea's parliament impeached Park in December, although South Korea's Constitutional Court is still mulling over whether to uphold the impeachment.
Investigators considering arrest warrant against Samsung executive
Prosecutors are reportedly considering whether to issue a renewed arrest warrant against the Samsung heir based on the outcome of Monday's questioning. Two other senior Samsung executives were also questioned as criminal suspects on Monday, according to a prosecution spokesperson.
Investigators had issued a warrant against Lee in January, before it was rejected by a Seoul court due to a lack of evidence.
Choi Soon-sil, a secret confidant of South Korea's president, has denied all charges of corruption and bribery. Image: Getty Images/AFP/Chung Sung-Jun
South Korean government rattled by scandal
Prosecutors have also sought to question Park over her role in the scandal. Her office has yet to agree on how and when to do it.
Park's aides have also blocked officials with a court-issued warrant from searching the Blue House, citing a law that blocks the searching of sites containing state secrets.
The head of South Korea's state pension fund, Moon Hyung-pyo, was detained in December on charges that he pressured the National Pension Service to sanction the Samsung merger despite warnings from investors that it wilfully unvalued the shares of the firms. The fund's stake in one of the firms lost an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars in value on the back of the merger.
