The arrest warrant requested for Samsung Group’s Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee will be decided tomorrow, two days after the Korean special prosecutor’s office decided to lay out official charges against the heir to the Seoul-based conglomerate. Lee spent almost a day in questioning last week as authorities were considering charging him with bribery in a corruption case that’s been developing in the Far Easter country for the last several months. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office decided to bring out charges against Samsung Group’s Vice Chairman yesterday, alleging that he paid $36.55 million in bribes to several companies and nonprofits linked to one Choi Soon-sil, a power broker close to President Park. Lee was also accused of embezzlement, as well as perjuring himself during a parliamentary hearing in December.
Samsung’s executive and his lawyers are now scheduled to attend a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday. Lee has previously denied all allegations against him, though he reportedly admitted to some wrongdoing during his latest visit to the special prosecutor’s office on Thursday. Authorities told Reuters that Samsung Group’s Vice Chairman will be in detention until his arrest warrant is decided. Hearings such as the one Lee is scheduled to attend tomorrow usually last around a day at most, so more information will likely follow by Thursday. Lee is currently unreachable and hasn’t commented on the matter.
The South Korean President also isn’t likely to survive this scandal unscathed as the parliament already started her impeachment process back in December. Park is still officially in office and is waiting to see whether the Constitutional Court will overrule that decision and leave her in power, which doesn’t seem likely to happen. The special prosecutor’s office is planning to interrogate her next month. President Park’s confidante Choi is already in prison, facing accusations of bribery, attempted fraud, and power abuse. Like Lee, she also denied all charges. Given the high-profile nature of this case, authorities will likely want to tread carefully and cover all their bases, which is why the investigation into this corruption scandal is expected to continue for some time now.