Samsung Heir, Testifying at His Trial, Denies Bribery Charges
Mr. Lee added that 95 percent of his work “was related to Samsung Electronics and its related affiliates.”
Choi Gee-sung, the former chief of the Future Strategy Office and once chief executive of Samsung Electronics’ digital media division, testified earlier Wednesday
that he had signed off on the donations without informing Mr. Lee
The merger of the subsidiaries, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, made Mr. Lee, a third-generation heir, the biggest shareholder in the combined entity
and bolstered his grip on Samsung Electronics, a major manufacturer of smartphones.
Mr. Lee, vice chairman of the conglomerate’s crown jewel, Samsung Electronics, was indicted in February,
accused of offering $38 million in bribes to Ms. Park and her confidante, Choi Soon-sil.
Taking the witness stand on Wednesday for the first time since his trial began in April, he denied having
bribed Park Geun-hye, then South Korea’s president, to keep his control of the business empire.
On Wednesday, he distanced himself from the merger
and the monetary contributions to the foundations controlled by the president’s inner circle, saying he had little knowledge of those matters, the South Korean news agency Yonhap said.
