Jay. Y Lee leaves an office of a special investigation team in southern Seoul on Friday morning. [Yonhap Photo]
The de facto head of South Korea's top conglomerate, Samsung Group, was released Friday from a grueling marathon investigation over his alleged role in a corruption scandal that has roiled South Korea for more than two months.
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee was questioned as a suspect in connection with the group's cash donation to President Park Geun-hye's crony, Choi Soon-sil, who has been arrested for meddling in state affairs and siphoning off money from South Korea's family-run conglomerates.
At Park's request, Lee is suspected of ordering the transfer of money for the equestrian training of Choi's daughter in return for business favors.
Lee remained tight-lipped as he walked out of the office of a special investigation team in southern Seoul at 7:50 am (2250 GMT) Friday following a 22-hour interrogation.
The special investigation team said it has yet to make a decision on Lee's arrest. "Our decision will be made probably tomorrow or the day day after tomorrow," spokesman Lee Kyu-chul told a regular briefing.
Along with bribery, a parliamentary committee has accused Lee of perjury. The committee has questioned top conglomerate chiefs at a hearing looking into a corruption scandal engulfing Park, who was suspended after being impeached in parliament on December 9.
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.
Investigators claimed to have secured evidence about his perjury, contending that as requested by Park, the Samsung vice chairman had directed Samsung officials to provide bribes.
Samsung allegedly struck a 22 billion-won (18.6 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. The head of the National Pension Service was arrested last month.
This week, the investigation team secured Choi's new tablet PC that allegedly contained 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
