Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s Verdict Delayed in 2015 Merger Case

SEOUL: The Seoul Central District Court has deferred its ruling on Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong in relation to a high-profile case concerning the 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates. Originally scheduled for a final decision on Friday, the court has now rescheduled the final trial date to February 5, as informed sources reported.

According to Yonhap News Agency, The postponement was necessitated due to both Lee and the prosecution submitting additional documents, including written opinions, subsequent to the completion of the hearing process late last year. Lee faces charges of stock price manipulation, accounting fraud, and other irregularities linked to the 2015 merger of Cheil Industries Inc. and Samsung CandT Corp. This merger is viewed as pivotal to Lee’s ascendancy within the Samsung Group.

Lee has consistently refuted these allegations, maintaining that the merger was intended to boost the competitiveness of the two merged entities, not to facilitate his control over the conglomerate. In November, the prosecution proposed a five-year prison sentence for Lee, accompanied by a 500 million won (approximately US$373,000) fine.