Seoul: The Supreme Court is set to deliver the final verdict on Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong on July 17, following his acquittal in both the first and second trials concerning charges related to a 2015 merger case. This decision marks a significant moment in a legal battle that has spanned nearly five years.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the ruling will be issued four years and ten months after Lee was initially brought to trial. Lee faced indictment in September 2020 on charges of unfair trading, stock price manipulation, and accounting fraud related to the 2015 merger of Samsung affiliates Cheil Industries Inc. and Samsung C and T Corp.
In February 2024, a lower court ruled Lee not guilty on all 19 charges, a decision that was upheld by the appellate court earlier this year. However, prosecutors have appealed to the Supreme Court, asserting that the merger and alleged irregularities were strategies to enable Lee to consolidate control over South Korea's largest conglomerate at minimal expense.