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Lee, the billionaire Samsung vice chairman and son of ailing chairman Lee Kun-hee, was indicted on Tuesday over a controversial 2015 merger that helped him tighten management over the corporate.

Seoul’s Central District Prosecutors’ Office mentioned at a briefing that 11 executives from Samsung, together with Lee, have been indicted on expenses together with unlawful transactions, inventory manipulation and perjury. Lee and the executives had been indicted with out detention, which suggests they weren’t taken into custody.

Lawyers for Samsung denied the fees, saying in a press release that they’re “one-sided claims by the investigation team that are not based on evidence and law, and by no means true.”

Chastened Samsung heir will not hand the company down to his children
That case was dubbed the “trial of the century,” and it gripped South Korea for months. It was a part of a enormous influence-peddling scandal that introduced down the federal government of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

Last August, South Korea’s high court docket ordered a brand new trial for Lee, reigniting the bribery allegations and elevating issues that the expertise scion could possibly be despatched again to jail. That case remains to be ongoing.

Prosecutors on Tuesday mentioned the 2015 merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries was undertaken in a way that allegedly benefited Lee and allowed him to realize a tighter grip on Samsung Electronics, the crown jewel of his household’s sprawling conglomerate.

During the merger, prosecutors allege that Lee and his executives illegally unfold false info, carried out unlawful lobbying and manipulated inventory costs.

But Samsung’s legal professionals say that interrogations and former associated instances have confirmed that the merger was carried out in compliance with authorities rules.

The newest investigation was carried out “with the aim of prosecuting Lee Jae-yong from the beginning, rather than seeking the actual truth according to evidence,” the legal professionals mentioned.

South Korea's top court orders retrial for Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong
Samsung is South Korea’s greatest conglomerate. Its mixed companies are estimated to account for round 15% of the nation’s complete financial system. Samsung Electronics, the most important a part of the group, is among the world’s main smartphone makers and a significant provider of reminiscence chips and show screens.

Shares in Samsung Electronics ended the day up 0.4%.

Lee has been the de facto chief of Samsung since his father was left incapacitated by a coronary heart assault in 2014.

Earlier this 12 months, the billionaire mentioned that he wouldn’t be handing the administration of Samsung Group over to his kids. He additionally apologized for shortcomings in his management of the corporate, acknowledging that Samsung has “failed, at times, to meet society’s expectations.”

— Sherisse Pham contributed to this report.

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