The South Korean Government has granted a special presidential pardon to Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong, who was convicted of bribery and embezzlement in 2017.
Lee is one of South Korea’s most powerful white collar criminals, was twice imprisoned for bribing a former president.
The government has justified the “special pardon”, saying the Jae-yong was needed back to run the country’s biggest company to spearhead economic recovery post-pandemic.
The bribe scandal led to the imprisonment of former president Park Geun-Hye, in office from 2013-2017.
Lee Jae-yong, dubbed the “Crown Prince of Samsung” by protesters – paid $8 million in bribes to President Park and her associate to secure support for a merger opposed by shareholders that would shore up his control of his family’s empire.
Millions of South Koreans turned out at candlelit protests every weekend in the 2016/2017 winter, demanding an end to Park’s government and the stitch-up between politics and business.
- Tags: Lee Jae-yong, Samsung, South Korea
