Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, 53, who was handed over to trial on charges of "public conspiracy to manipulate state affairs," was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in a retrial.
The Seoul High Court sentenced Lee to two and a half years in prison on Jan. 18 in a retrial for Vice Chairman Lee, who was indicted on charges of bribery and other charges.
The court judged that the amount of embezzlement caused by Lee's bribery was 8.68 billion won ($7.9 million). It also judged that it is inappropriate to reflect the effectiveness of Samsung's compliance monitoring system as a reason for sentencing.
The court said, "We followed the Supreme Court's intention. Vice Chairman Lee’s supports such as 7.052 billion won in horse riding support, 1.628 billion won for the Center for the Gifted (a total of 8.68 billion won) are recognized as bribery, embezzlement, and criminal proceeds.”
The court then pointed out that "Samsung was operating a compliance monitoring system at the time of the crime, but failed to prevent the crime."
"It is very unfortunate that Samsung, the nation's top company and proud global innovation company, is involved in crimes whenever political power changes like this," the court stressed.
"Considering all these circumstances, it is inevitable for Vice Chairman Lee to be sentenced to prison and arrested by the court," he said, issuing an arrest warrant for Vice Chairman Lee.
Vice Chairman Lee was put on trial in February 2017 on charges of asking former President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to help Samsung's management succession and governance restructuring and offering a total of 29.82 billion won in bribes in return.
The first trial sentenced Vice Chairman Lee to five years in prison, but the second trial sentenced him to two and a half years in prison, suspended for four years. The Supreme Court's en banc sent the case back to the Seoul High Court, breaking the original verdict in an appeal against Vice Chairman Lee and others.
