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S. Korea prosecutor seeks to arrest Samsung boss Lee

Monday, January 16, 2017 - 01:27

South Korean prosecutors request the arrest of Samsung head Jay Y. Lee for charges of bribery linked to the corruption scandal engulfing President Park Geun-hye on Monday. Ryan Brooks reports.

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South Korea's massive corruption scandal taking yet another major turn on Monday (January 16). Prosecutors announcing they'll be seeking an arrest warrant for the head of Samsung, Jay Y. Lee. (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SPOKESMAN FOR THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, LEE KYU-CHUL, SAYING: "The special prosecution has requested an arrest warrant for Lee on charges of bribery, embezzlement, and perjury in his testimony and appraisal in the National Assembly." The billionaire business mogul is at the center of a bribery probe, linked to the scandal that's already seen disgraced President Park Geun-hye impeached by parliament. Lee was questioned for 22 hours straight last week. He's suspected of paying money to organizations backed by a close friend of President Park, to win approval for an $8 billion merger of two Samsung Group affiliates. That friend, Choi Soon-sil, was in court herself on Monday, denying any wrongdoing. And in another big development, the head of the National Pension Service was indicted on charges of abuse of power and giving false testimony. He's the one who helped approve the merger last year. In December, Lee denied that Samsung lobbied or paid money to get the deal pushed through. Now prosecutors think that may also be false testimony. Concern is mounting over the possible economic impact of arresting the head of South Korea's biggest company. But investigators say getting to the bottom of the case and seeking justice are far more important than matters of money.

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