[Aju News DB]
The de facto head of South Korea's top conglomerate, Samsung Group, faces a possible criminal investigation this week after investigators want a parliamentary committee to bring an accusation against him for perjury.
Investigators said Wednesday they have sent a written request to a parliamentary committee looking into a corruption scandal engulfing President Park Geun-hye who was suspended after being impeached in parliament on December 9.
The request came after Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee was summoned by a special investigation team for questioning Thursday as a suspect on charges of bribery over the group's alleged cash donation to Park's arrested crony, Choi Soon-sil.
Samsung is suspected of providing undue financial support for the equestrian training of Choi's daughter in return for favors, team spokesman Lee Kyu-chul told reporters.
The 48-year-old only son of bedridden Samsung Group patriarch Lee Kun-hee admitted at a parliamentary hearing on December 6 that Samsung bankrolled a training program for Choi's daughter. But he insisted he was not personally involved in Samsung's cash donations.
On Wednesday, special investigators claimed to have secured evidence about his perjury, contending that as requested by Park, Jay Y. Lee had directed Samsung officials to provide bribes.
Samsung allegedly struck a 22 billion-won (18.3 million US dollars) contract with a Germany-based company owned by Choi and her 21-year-old daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, who has been arrested in Denmark on charges of illegal stay.
Investigators believe the contract probably came in return for the state-run pension fund's backing of a merger deal between Samsung subsidiaries in 2015. There have been allegations that the state fund was pressured by Park's office to support the merger in return for favors.
This week, the investigation team secured a tablet PC allegedly used by Choi that contains e-mail information related to Samsung's funding. As yet, no business leaders have been charged, but the scandal has fanned public resentment over their relationship with Park.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
