Lee Jae-yong Attends Final Hearing Before Retrial Verdict in National Affairs Manipulation Case... 'Silent Response'

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is attending the retrial on bribery charges related to the state affairs manipulation case at the Seoul High Court on the 21st. / Photo by Ki-min Lee victor.lee@

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended the final trial session before the conclusion of the retrial on bribery charges related to the state affairs manipulation case on the 21st.

The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Jung Jun-young) held the 9th retrial session for Vice Chairman Lee from 2:05 PM that day.

Before the trial, Vice Chairman Lee arrived at the Seoul Court Complex in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where the Seoul High Court is located, at around 1:38 PM. This was the first time in two weeks since December 7 that he appeared in court in person.

Reporters asked questions such as, "How do you view the expert committee's criticism of shortcomings related to the Samsung Compliance Committee?" and "How do you plan to defend against the negative evaluations at this late stage of the trial?" but Vice Chairman Lee did not respond and headed into the courtroom.

During the trial, the positions of the Special Prosecutor's Office led by Park Young-soo and Vice Chairman Lee's defense team regarding the expert committee's final evaluation are expected to be disclosed. Previously, the expert committee, including former Constitutional Court Justice Kang Il-won, former Daegu High Prosecutor Kim Kyung-soo, and accountant Hong Soon-tak, presented their opinions on the effectiveness and sustainability of Samsung's compliance monitoring system and the Compliance Committee at the hearing held on the 7th of this month. The expert committee also submitted their final report to the court on the 14th.

Among the expert committee members, there was a divergence of views on the Compliance Committee between Kim Kyung-soo, a former high prosecutor appointed by Vice Chairman Lee's side, and accountant Hong Soon-tak, selected by the Special Prosecutor's Office. Former Justice Kang Il-won, appointed by the court, acknowledged some shortcomings in the Compliance Committee but generally gave a positive evaluation.

Considering the differing opinions among the expert committee members and the high likelihood that this report will be reflected in Vice Chairman Lee's sentencing, the Special Prosecutor's Office and Vice Chairman Lee's defense team are expected to engage in a fierce debate over the expert committee's final report during this trial session.

Vice Chairman Lee's retrial is expected to conclude with the sentencing hearing scheduled for the 30th. Therefore, it is highly likely that the verdict will be delivered before the third week of February, which is the judicial personnel appointment period.