Seoul Central District Court rejects arrest warrant for Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong
- 4 years ago
이재용 영장 기각…법원 "구속 필요성 소명 부족"
Samsung Group's heir Lee Jae-yong has avoided being sent to a jail cell after the Seoul Central District Court refused the prosecution's request to issue an arrest warrant for him over allegations related to his succession plans.
Kim Bo-kyoung reports.
After a marathon court hearing,... the top executive at Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, was able to walk out of Seoul Detention Center, located south of the capital at 2:40 AM, Korea time, on Tuesday after the court refused to issue an arrest warrant for him.
The court said it couldn't find sufficient probable cause to arrest the billionaire business tycoon over allegations related to the controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates.
Two former Samsung executives who were brought in with Lee,... Choi Gee-sung and Kim Jong-joong from the group's now-deactivated control tower, the Future Strategy Office, were also released.
The prosecution said it was disappointed with the court's ruling.
They are expected to review the reasons behind their failure to convince the court to issue the warrant.
They'll decide whether to request an another arrest warrant for Lee,... but it's expected to be tough as it has already been denied by the court.
The refusal to issue an arrest warrant affects an external committee's decision as well.
Lee previously requested the establishment of a citizen panel around a week ago,... before prosecutors asked for the arrest warrant,... to judge if the investigation regarding his charges is even necessary.
Although he managed to avoid arrest this time,... some experts say it's time for Lee to overcome his repeated 'owner risk' namely the misconduct of conglomerate owners that pose a threat to the company's stock prices, profits and its future plans to fulfill his personal ambitions.
Prosecutors could still indict Lee after collecting more evidence and convict him through trials.
Making matters worse,... Lee is still dealing with an old bribery case ordered to be retried by the Supreme Court.
For Lee to create a "New Samsung" like he mentioned in his rare public apology last month and fulfill his ambitions of making Samsung the world's No. 1 system semiconductor maker by 2030,... it seems Lee needs to first overcome his legal problems before that can become a reality.
Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.
Samsung Group's heir Lee Jae-yong has avoided being sent to a jail cell after the Seoul Central District Court refused the prosecution's request to issue an arrest warrant for him over allegations related to his succession plans.
Kim Bo-kyoung reports.
After a marathon court hearing,... the top executive at Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, was able to walk out of Seoul Detention Center, located south of the capital at 2:40 AM, Korea time, on Tuesday after the court refused to issue an arrest warrant for him.
The court said it couldn't find sufficient probable cause to arrest the billionaire business tycoon over allegations related to the controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates.
Two former Samsung executives who were brought in with Lee,... Choi Gee-sung and Kim Jong-joong from the group's now-deactivated control tower, the Future Strategy Office, were also released.
The prosecution said it was disappointed with the court's ruling.
They are expected to review the reasons behind their failure to convince the court to issue the warrant.
They'll decide whether to request an another arrest warrant for Lee,... but it's expected to be tough as it has already been denied by the court.
The refusal to issue an arrest warrant affects an external committee's decision as well.
Lee previously requested the establishment of a citizen panel around a week ago,... before prosecutors asked for the arrest warrant,... to judge if the investigation regarding his charges is even necessary.
Although he managed to avoid arrest this time,... some experts say it's time for Lee to overcome his repeated 'owner risk' namely the misconduct of conglomerate owners that pose a threat to the company's stock prices, profits and its future plans to fulfill his personal ambitions.
Prosecutors could still indict Lee after collecting more evidence and convict him through trials.
Making matters worse,... Lee is still dealing with an old bribery case ordered to be retried by the Supreme Court.
For Lee to create a "New Samsung" like he mentioned in his rare public apology last month and fulfill his ambitions of making Samsung the world's No. 1 system semiconductor maker by 2030,... it seems Lee needs to first overcome his legal problems before that can become a reality.
Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.