Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, was sentenced to remand for destruction four years after he was first investigated by the prosecution for suspicion of Gukjeong Nongdan.
The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1 (Judge Jung Joon-young Song Young-seung, Kang Sang-wook) sentenced Vice-Chairman Lee, who was charged with bribery and other charges, to 2 years and 6 months in prison today. It will be judged by the Supreme Court again, but it is highly likely that this ruling will be confirmed as it has already been judged by the Supreme Court one time.
In fact, it can be seen that the trial of Gukjeong Nongdan has entered the process of closing.
The first time that Vice Chairman Lee was investigated by the prosecution to make a statement on the Gukjeong Nongdan case dates back to November 13, 2016.
At the time, it was not clear that Samsung's contribution to Choi Seo-won (previously renamed Choi Soon-sil) was not clear, and Vice-Chairman Lee, like other group heads, was a reference.
It was a special prosecutor Young-soo Park appointed two weeks later that summoned Lee as a suspect.
The Special Prosecutor's Office believes that Vice-Chairman Lee supported Mr. Choi for the succession of management rights, and is investigated as the first suspect on January 12, 2017.
Vice-Chairman Lee will be investigated as a suspect for the second time since the suspicion of issuing low-cost Everland Convertible Bonds (CB) in February 2008.
It was Jo Jun-woong's investigation team that investigated the case.
In the legal and business world, it has been said that the vice-chairman Lee and the special prosecutor's side have been reenacted after nine years.
After the investigation, Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo filed two requests for warrants against Lee Vice-Chairman, and the second of these, finally obtained an arrest warrant.
On February 28, 2017, when the investigation period ends, the special prosecutor indicts Vice Chairman Lee.
Meanwhile, Vice Chairman Lee, former President Park Geun-hye and Mr. Choi were prosecuted at the same time.
Choi was first prosecuted by the prosecution, followed by additional prosecution after the inauguration of the special prosecutor's office, followed by Vice-Chairman Lee, who was then handed over to trial, followed by former President Park's dismissal.
Each of them was sentenced to a lower court, but afterwards, the Supreme Court ruled that all three trials should be reconsidered in August 2019 after all cases were reviewed collectively by all the cases, taking into account the relevance of the case.
The three men who were judged for the first time in the Supreme Court on the same day went on a different path again in the revocation trial.
In contrast to former President Park and Mr. Choi's decision to be finalized after being remanded for destruction, Vice-Chairman Lee was the last to receive the judgment after the trial was suspended for more than half a year after remand and remand.
When the Vice-Chairman Lee's Destruction Recall Judgment revealed that the Samsung Compliance Committee's activities were reflected in the sentencing, the special prosecutors objected and filed a request to evade the court in February 2019, which took about 7 months.
The Supreme Court rejected the special prosecutor's request to evade the court, and the trial proceeded as it was.
As a result of the delay in the trial, it took about one year and five months from the time of the Supreme Court's decision to remand for destruction and remand for destruction.
After more than a year of hearing, the Court of Refusal of Destruction, Vice-Chairman Lee was sentenced to two years and six months in prison and arrested in court.
Vice-Chairman Lee and Special Prosecutors may appeal again and receive the Supreme Court's judgment if they disagree with the ruling on the revocation court.
However, it is not easy to change the judgment in the re-appeal review, but considering that both former President Park and Mr. Choi, whose rulings were finalized, have been finalized in the Supreme Court’s re-appeal review, Vice-Chairman Lee also decided that the ruling on the revocation review was actually final. It is likely to be.
Even if this ruling is finalized, the trial on the charges of'Illegal Succession of Management Rights', a separate case, will continue.
In September of last year, Vice-Chairman Lee was prosecuted under the Capital Market Act on charges of fraudulent transactions, market price control, and business negligence.
The prosecution believes that the merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries in 2015 was led by the Samsung Group's Future Strategy Office in order to succeed Vice Chairman Lee's management rights.
On the other hand, Vice Chairman Lee's position is that the merger was made legally due to management needs.
(Photo = Yonhap News)