The appellate court handling the case of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong's 'unfair merger suspicion between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries' has extended the suspension period for new case assignments.
According to the legal community on the 4th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judges Baek Gang-jin, Kim Seon-hee, and Lee In-su) extended the suspension period for new case assignments by two months until the 31st of next month.
The court had not accepted any new cases for two months from July 1 to the end of last month, in accordance with court regulations that allow requesting suspension of new case assignments when focused trial is necessary.
The extension of the suspension period is interpreted as an effort to secure additional time for focused trial to adhere to the pre-established trial schedule. At the second preparatory hearing for Chairman Lee in July, the court stated it would proceed with the trial aiming for a verdict before the end of January next year.
At that time, the court planned to start the first formal trial on the 30th of this month and hold the prosecution's sentencing hearing on November 25. The court intends to deliver the verdict before the judicial personnel reshuffle (usually at the end of January for high courts). If the court deems further focused trial necessary beyond the second extension period, additional extensions are possible.
Chairman Lee was indicted in September 2020 on charges of involvement in various illicit transactions, market manipulation, and accounting fraud orchestrated by the group's Future Strategy Office to securely succeed management rights at minimal cost and strengthen control during the 2015 merger of Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T. The first trial acquitted Lee of all 19 charges on February 5, three years and five months after the indictment.
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