Prosecutors Push for Samsung Heir to Get 12-Year Sentence

Prosecutors asked a South Korean court to extend the prison term for Samsung Electronics heir-apparent Jay Y. Lee to 12 years, in an appeal of his five-year sentence for allegedly bribing his way to greater control of the country’s biggest company, according to Bloomberg.

Lee, 49, is the highest-profile business figure to be embroiled in an influence-peddling scandal that led to the ouster of President Park Geun-hye this year. In August, a Seoul court convicted the Samsung Electronics vice chairman of giving Park’s friend thoroughbred horses in the hope it would help secure government support for his ascension to the top of the company.

Prosecutors originally sought 12 years for Lee in August, saying such a sentence would help “establish the rule of law“ in a country where ties between government and business have come under renewed scrutiny since the scandal emerged last year. Lee is also appealing the original sentence and has denied any legal wrongdoing, saying he never sought to unseat his hospitalized father as Samsung chairman in the first place.

The original six-month long trial centered on a 2015 merger between two Samsung affiliates that gave Lee fresh shares in Samsung C&T, a major shareholder in Samsung Electronics. Prosecutors allege Lee knew about the secret relationship between Park and her friend and used the knowledge to ensure the deal passed so he would tighten his grip on Samsung without having to pay billions of dollars in inheritance taxes.

In the Korean judicial system, prosecutors demand a sentence before a ruling. A panel of three judges will decide the matter; no jury has been involved in the case. A ruling on the appeal will come Feb. 5.