The de facto leader of the Samsung business empire could face up to a dozen years behind bars if prosecutors get their way. CNN reports.
They presented their closing argument in South Korea’s “trial of the century” on Monday, portraying Samsung’s Lee Jae-yong as a savvy tycoon who knew exactly what he was doing when the conglomerate paid tens of million of dollars to entities linked to a confidante of the country’s former president.
“Even though he acknowledges one-on-one meetings with the president, he claims to be merely a victim of the abuse of power,” special prosecutor Park Young-soo said, requesting a 12-year prison sentence for South Korea’s highest profile business leader.
Lee, the 49-year-old son of Samsung’s ailing chairman, has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, perjury, concealing criminal profits, embezzlement and hiding assets overseas. He’s accused of playing a key role in an influence-peddling scandal that led to the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye.
The prosecution says Lee — who also goes by the name Jay Y. Lee — bribed Park and her friend, Choi Soon-sil, in order to win government support for an important merger that would cement his leadership of the conglomerate.