Samsung Heir Freed From Prison in Unexpected Court Reversal
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A South Korean appeals court let Samsung Electronics Co. Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee walk free from prison after suspending his sentence for bribery, a stunning reversal that raises questions about the government’s ability to reform the nation’s most powerful corporations.
The heir to the country’s largest conglomerate had appealed his sentence, which the court reduced by half to two and a half years on Monday. He will be on probation for four years, the court said.
Even Lee, 49, appeared stunned. He stood up and looked around with a blank stare after the ruling, and was blushing as he walked out of the courtroom. He had been detained for almost a year. The decision follows a familiar pattern however: over the years, Lee’s father, as well as other South Korean business executives, had been tried in court for corruption only to receive suspended sentences.
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