Possibility of Proceeding with Trial Without Vice Chairman
If Postponed, a New Date Will Be Set Later
[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Following the passing of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee on the 25th, some adjustments to the retrial of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's 'State Affairs Manipulation Case' are expected to be inevitable the next day.
The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1 (Chief Judge Jung Jun-young) plans to hold a preparatory hearing for the retrial of the bribery and other charges involving Vice Chairman Lee and other Samsung officials on the afternoon of the 26th. The preparatory hearing is a procedure before the formal trial where the court listens to both parties' plans for evidence presentation and selects necessary evidence and witnesses. Although the defendant is not obligated to attend, Vice Chairman Lee is expected to appear in court that day as the court has unusually issued a summons.
However, a variable arose one day before the trial. Chairman Lee, Vice Chairman Lee's father, passed away after a long illness. Vice Chairman Lee is expected to stay at the funeral as the chief mourner. The court is likely to receive a written excuse for absence reflecting these circumstances by the morning of the trial day at the latest.
The court has not made any announcements regarding postponement or changes to the trial schedule. If the trial proceeds as planned, it can be interpreted that the court believes it can continue the trial procedures without Vice Chairman Lee. Originally, the court intended to take steps to appoint a professional investigator to review Samsung's operation of the Compliance Committee during this hearing. Currently, the Special Prosecutor's Office led by Park Young-soo has submitted an objection to the appointment of former Constitutional Court Justice Kang Il-won as the professional investigator.
On the other hand, there is also a possibility that the court may change future trial dates. Given that the court unusually issued a summons for a preparatory hearing where the defendant is not obligated to attend, it may judge that it is impossible to proceed with the trial without Vice Chairman Lee. In such a case, the court will reschedule the trial date considering the schedules of the Special Prosecutor and Vice Chairman Lee's side. It is expected that a date will be set as early as next month.
This retrial of Vice Chairman Lee's State Affairs Manipulation case is the first trial resumed in nine months since January. It was reopened after the Supreme Court last month finally dismissed the Special Prosecutor's request for the recusal of Chief Judge Jung Jun-young, who was accused of losing consistency and conducting a biased trial against the defendants with preconceived notions. Meanwhile, the court battle over sentencing is expected to intensify further as the dispute over the effectiveness of the Compliance Committee, which both sides have contested, is intertwined with the variable of a separate indictment related to suspicions of management succession.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
