Lee Jae-yong to Face First Trial on Propofol Administration Charges on 19th Next Month

Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The first trial of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who has been indicted on charges of illegal propofol use, will be held next month.

According to the legal community on the 12th, Judge Jang Young-chae of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 11 will hold the first trial session for Lee on August 19 at 11:10 a.m.

Lee was initially summarily indicted with a fine of 50 million won. He was investigated after a public interest report was filed with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission alleging that he habitually used the psychotropic drug propofol at a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam, Seoul.

Lee denied the charges, claiming that he received treatment based on professional medical opinions and that it was not illegal use. He requested the convening of the Prosecutor's Investigation Deliberation Committee, which recommended suspension of the investigation but rejected the decision on indictment due to an equal number of votes for and against. The prosecution summarily indicted him on the 4th of last month, believing he used propofol for non-medical purposes.

Subsequently, the prosecution received another propofol-related case involving Lee from the police, launched an investigation, and applied to the court to refer the case to a regular trial procedure. At that time, a prosecution official stated, "We applied for a formal trial procedure to review the necessity of amending the indictment depending on the results of the ongoing investigation of similar cases." The court accepted the prosecution's application and referred the case to a formal trial on the 28th of last month.

Lee, who is currently serving a prison sentence for the National Pension Fund scandal, will face another trial following the ongoing trial for the 'unfair merger and accounting fraud' case.