Samsung chairman's legal battle set to end this week after decade-long struggle

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s legal battle over a controversial merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries will likely come to an end this week, closing a chapter of legal questions that have weighed on Korea’s biggest business tycoon for the past 10 years. The Supreme Court is set to deliver the final ruling at 11 a.m. Thursday on allegations that Lee was involved in unfair trading, stock price manipulation and accounting fraud during the 2015 merger. The ruling will come exactly 10 years after the merger plan for Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries was passed during the former’s shareholders meeting on July 17, 2015. Lee was indicted in September 2020 on charges of involvement in a scheme orchestrated by Samsung’s now-defunct Future Strategy Office to secure control of the conglomerate at minimal cost through the merger. In February last year, the Seoul Central District Court found him not guilty on all 19 charges, and the Seoul High Court upheld the lower court ruling in February this year. The merger was a subject of heated controversy even before LeeWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times