Seoul (AFP)
Samsung heir and de facto boss Lee Jae-yong, currently in custody, will be granted early parole this week, South Korea's justice ministry said on Monday, a move meant to allay concerns about a possible vacancy at the head of the group.
Lee Jae-yong - 188th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with a fortune of $ 12.4 billion (10.5 billion euros) is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
He was convicted in January in the resounding corruption scandal that led to the impeachment and subsequent incarceration of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
Calls for his early release have multiplied in recent months, coming from both politicians and business leaders, worried about the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on the South Korean economy, the 12th largest in the Globe.
Samsung Electronics' vice president "is among those granted parole due to the national economic situation due to the protracted coronavirus pandemic," Justice Minister Park Beom-kye told reporters on Monday .
This release is intended to allay concerns about the decision-making process of Samsung, which is among the world's leading smartphone and chip makers.
It is by far the largest of the "chaebols", the family industrial empires of the country.
South Korea traditionally grants graces at this time of year, as it celebrates Independence Day on August 15.
The Justice Department said this year 810 people will be granted parole.
The decision was made "on the basis of various factors, including the sentiment of the population and their behavior in prison," he told reporters.
According to South Korean media, he has been a "model prisoner" and, a rule change that came into effect in August, reduces the length of sentence prisoners must serve to be eligible for parole.
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