SCANDAL

South Korean Prosecutors Seek to Arrest Samsung Head for Bribery

Prosecutors seek arrest warrant in corruption scandal.

South Korean prosecutors on Monday sought an arrest warrant for Jay Y. Lee, the head of Samsung Group, in a massive bribery scandal that goes all the way up to the president’s office. Lee was interrogated last week for 22 hours in a row over accusations he paid multi-million dollar bribes to a friend of President Park Geun-hye in order to secure business deals. Lee, who took over control of the company in 2014, also faces accusations of embezzlement and perjury, Reuters reported, citing copies of prosecutors’ documents. At a briefing on Monday morning, prosecutors said they intended to go after Lee despite his company’s status as the country’s largest conglomerate. “The special prosecutors' office, in making this decision to seek an arrest warrant, determined that while the country's economic conditions are important, upholding justice takes precedence,” Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for prosecutors, was cited as saying. Lee is due to appear at a court hearing on Wednesday, when a judge will decide whether to grant the arrest warrant.