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Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong has left a South Korean jail a free man after a panel of judges suspended his sentence, a surprise decision that sent shockwaves through the country's political and business establishments.
Key Points:
- Judge says ex-president Park threatened Samsung executives
- Lee Jay-yong says he spent year in jail on self-reflection
- Lee is unlikely to serve more jail time
Coming just days before South Koreans gather to host the Winter Olympics, the ruling reignited an intense public debate over widespread corruption in a case that ousted president Park Geun-hye from office last year and has ensnared leading members of the family-run "chaebol" conglomerates.
Seoul High Court sentenced Lee to two and a half years in jail on charges including bribery and embezzlement.
Reducing the original term by half, but suspending the sentence for four years, means he is unlikely to serve any more time in jail.
Lee, 49, heir to one of the world's biggest corporate empires, had been detained since last February.
Emerging from a Seoul detention centre where he had briefly returned for his belongings after the ruling, Lee stood in the frigid February air and apologised for "not showing my best side".
"The past year has been a really valuable time of looking back on myself," Lee told reporters.
He added that he needed to visit his ailing father, Samsung Group patriarch Lee Kun-hee, who suffered a heart attack in 2014.
The elder Mr Lee escaped a conviction for embezzlement and tax evasion when he was pardoned by former President Lee Myung-bak, viewed by some as a move to allow the elder Lee to lead the campaign to secure the 2018 Winter Olympics for South Korea.
Coming days ahead of the Olympics in Pyeongchang, the decision to free Lee presents a new headache for President Moon Jae-in, who was elected last year on an anti-corruption platform in the wake of Mr Park's impeachment.
'Republic of Samsung' under scrutiny
Former president Park was dismissed in March after being impeached in a case that brought scrutiny to the cosy ties between South Korea's political leaders and its largest chaebol, the so-called "Republic of Samsung".
Ms Park, who denies wrongdoing, is standing trial accused of bribery, abuse of power and coercion.
Receiving bribes can carry a sentence of life in jail.
One of the judges who suspended Lee's sentence said Ms Park had pressured the corporate leader to sponsor equestrian sports, which could have a bearing on Ms Park's verdict, legal experts said.
Partially agreeing with a lower court's ruling in August, the High Court convicted Lee of bribing Ms Park by supporting the equestrian career of the daughter of a friend of hers.
He was also convicted of embezzlement.
But the appeals court said Lee did not seek any help from Ms Park.
It also said just $4.1 million was paid as a bribe, not $8.2 million as the lower court had said.
Presiding senior judge Cheong Hyung-sik also called the nature of Lee's involvement in Samsung's support for Park's friend "passive compliance to political power".
"Park threatened Samsung Electronics executives," the judge said.
"The defendant provided a bribe, knowing it was bribery to support (the friend's daughter), but was unable to refuse."
Prosecutors did not have an immediate comment.
Lee's lawyer, Lee In-jae, said the defence will appeal to the Supreme Court to try to overturn the convictions.
Reuters
Topics: fraud-and-corporate-crime, corruption, mobile-phones, computers-and-technology, korea-republic-of
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