LEE JAE-YONG SENTENCED TO JAIL

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Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for bribing the ousted former president Park Geun-hye at her demand.

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Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong had been tried in court for nearly four years for allegedly bribing the ousted former president Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Seo-won in 2017.

[Soundbite] LEE JAE-YONG(SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS VICE CHAIRMAN) : "(You've received a verdict after four years. How do you feel?) ....."

The Seoul High Court has sentenced the Samsung heir to two and a half years in prison. He was arrested in court. This happened three years after an appellate court ruled that Lee Jae-yong could be released on probation after his previous arrest. Judges at the Seoul High Court once again reaffirmed that Lee "pro-actively" gave bribes to Park Geun-hye at her demand. The verdict says Lee responded to Park's demands in return for illicit favors to help him inherit the Samsung Group from his father, and therefore his actions cannot be viewed as passive bribery. It also added that sentencing the Samsung heir to a prison term and arresting him in court was inevitable because the entire sum of money paid in bribes, 8.6 billion won, was provided using Samsung's corporate funds. Plus, Lee attempted to conceal his crime. However, the judges took into account the fact that the entire embezzled amount was re-paid, and refusing the then-president's demand was extremely difficult. As a result, the court has issued a more lenient sentence compared to the minimum four-year prison time under the sentencing guideline. Samsung says the ruling is highly regrettable.

[Soundbite] LEE IN-JAE(LEE JAE-YONG'S ATTORNEY) : "This case shows how power abuse by a former president can deprive businesses of their freedom and property rights. The court's ruling is highly regrettable."

Lee Jae-yong's attorney says the decision whether to appeal will be made after reviewing the verdict. Even if Samsung does appeal to the Supreme Court, the latter is more than likely to dismiss the case, as most of the facts have already been proven. The special counsel said the latest ruling is in line with the Supreme Court's decision and that it effectively wraps up the judicial procedure on the massive power abuse scandal of former president Park Geun-hye.