Lee Jae-yong Appears at Retrial... Silent in Response to Questions About His Feelings

Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho, Gimin Lee] Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, who is accused of bribery related to the state affairs manipulation scandal, appeared at the retrial sentencing hearing on the 18th.

Vice Chairman Lee appeared in front of the court around 1:40 PM to attend the sentencing hearing held in the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Jung Jun-young) that afternoon. Wearing a mask, he got off the vehicle and entered the courtroom through the west wing of the courthouse.

He did not respond to reporters' questions about his feelings. Earlier, Samsung had informed the press in the morning that "Vice Chairman Lee will not make any statements upon entering the court." Samsung added that after the sentencing hearing, Lee’s lawyer would briefly state their position.

Lee was arrested and indicted in February 2017 on charges of offering bribes to former President Park Geun-hye and Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil) to assist with the succession of Samsung Group’s management rights. In the first trial, 8.9 billion KRW was recognized as bribery, including 7.2 billion KRW for equestrian support for Choi’s daughter Jung Yoo-ra and 1.6 billion KRW for sponsoring the Korea Winter Sports Gifted Center, resulting in a 5-year prison sentence. However, the second trial recognized only 3.6 billion KRW as bribery and sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 4-year probation.

The Supreme Court’s Grand Bench overturned and remanded the case in August 2019, ruling that the 3.4 billion KRW for horse purchases for Jung Yoo-ra and the 1.6 billion KRW sponsorship for the Winter Sports Gifted Center, which the appellate court had acquitted, should be considered bribes. Since the amounts recognized as bribery differ among the first trial, second trial, and Supreme Court decisions, the prosecution and Lee’s defense have been engaged in legal disputes over sentencing in the retrial.

If dissatisfied with the retrial sentencing, an appeal to the Supreme Court is possible, but considering that the Supreme Court Grand Bench has already made a ruling once, it is highly likely that the retrial verdict will be finalized as is. The prosecution requested a 9-year prison sentence for Vice Chairman Lee in the previous closing arguments.