The heir and de facto leader of the South Korean Samsung group, Lee Jae-yong, was convicted by the Seoul Central District Court for illegal use of drugs, in particular Propofol, a powerful anesthetic. Lee, vice president of the electronics giant, was fined 70 million won (about $ 60,000), the agency Yonhap reported. The court also ordered a further confiscation of 17 million won against Lee for violations of the drug control law, fully accepting the claims and the prosecution’s accusation.
The Propofol case
In June, prosecutors indicted the vice president of Samsung Electronics for using Propofol off medical treatment at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul on a total of 41 occasions between January 2015 and May 2020. Under South Korean law, the the recipient of a controlled substance believed to have been administered illegally is punishable, as are those who have allowed it. However, Lee’s attorney had stated that the use of Propofol was part of inpatient treatment and not illegal. The clinic staff who administered it are now on trial in a separate proceeding, denying the commission of wrongdoing.
Mr. Samsung’s background
Lee had already served a prison sentence as he was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison by the Seoul High Court on January 18 in a retrial of a corruption case involving former President of the Republic of Korea, Park Geun- hye. In August, however, he was released for presidential intervention, with the same office of the presidency having solicited public understanding, citing the hope of aid to the country for the production of “semiconductors and vaccines“. After his release from prison, Samsung announced it would invest 240 trillion won over the next three years in fields like chips and biopharmaceuticals. Lee is still on trial accused of stock price manipulation and accounting fraud related to the $ 8 billion merger of two Samsung companies in 2015, through which he consolidated his ownership and control over the group thanks to the involvement of funds. pension and public companies.