[
THE INVESTOR]
Samsung Electronics denied the special counsel’s final briefing on Mar. 6 that accused Vice Chairman
Lee Jae-yong of being a bribery suspect in the influence-peddling scandal that led to the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye.
“We disagree with the special prosecutor’s findings,” Samsung said in a statement.
“Samsung has not paid bribes nor made improper requests seeking favors. Future court proceedings will reveal the truth.”
Park Young-soo who lead the investigation team said the president had ordered her officials to pressure the National Pension Service to approve a controversial merger between two Samsung units in 2015 in exchange for business favors worth 43 billion won ($37 million) given to Choi Soon-sil, her longtime friend. The merger was seen as a crucial step for Lee to speed up his succession of the tech giant.
By Cho Chung-un/The Korea Herald (
christory@heraldcorp.com)