Jay Y. Lee, Samsung Leader Facing ‘Trial of the Century,’ Denies Charges -
By JONATHAN SOBLEMARCH 9, 2017
Five executives at Samsung, including the conglomerate’s de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, formally denied bribery
charges against them on Thursday, in a preliminary hearing for a trial with the potential to shake South Korea.
Prosecutors have named Ms. Park as an accomplice in Mr. Lee’s case, most recently in a report issued on Monday about Mr. Lee’s indictment.
Mr. Lee, who also goes by the name Jay Y. Lee, and the other executives face charges
that strike at the heart of the deep ties between the South Korean government and powerful family-controlled businesses, a source of growing public resentment.
He and the other executives, who are accused of aiding Mr. Lee, did not appear in court
for the preliminary hearing on Thursday, but they denied the charges through lawyers.
Prosecutors say Mr. Lee sought a particularly South Korean favor in return: Approval for a merger
that cemented his family’s hold over the sprawling Samsung group, a vast and complex network of companies whose interests range from cellphones to shipbuilding.
