Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong has been questioned behind closed doors today by a South Korean judge during the hearing for his arrest warrant that has been sought by the country's special prosecutor in connection with the influence-peddling scandal that has led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. The hearing lasted almost four hours and Lee was then taken to a detention center where he will await the court's decision which is expected to come later today or early tomorrow morning.
The special prosecutor's office is seeking an arrest warrant for Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong on suspicion of bribery, embezzlement and perjury. Samsung Group has urged the court to not issue the warrant and has claimed that it was forced into making the contributions. One of Lee's five attorneys was positive that his legal team had properly put their case forward. “We are confident the court will make a wise decision,” attorney Song Wu-cheol told reporters.
Lee was previously questioned for more than 22 hours by prosecutors who seek to determine Samsung's role in the scandal. The company is accused of paying more than $36 million to organizations run by Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of the president, in order to gain influence. Samsung denies the allegations and Lee himself has denied bribery allegations during an appearance before the company's parliament in December last year.
