over a controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates that helped him assume greater control of the group’s crown jewel Samsung Electronics, despite an independent panel’s recommendation in June not to indict him, the official said.
Charges against Lee included practice of unfair transaction and manipulation of market prices under the Capital Markets Act, breach of trust during the course of business, and false disclosure and accounting fraud under the External Audit Act, prosecutors said in a statement.The indictment paves the way for Lee to undergo trial on the charges. He will not be detained as a Seoul court denied in June a request from prosecutors for an arrest warrant.
Lee is separately accused of giving horses to the daughter of a confidante of former president Park Geun-hye to win government support for the merger of the two affiliates. Shares of major Samsung firms were largely unchanged following the announcement. Samsung Electronics was up 0.6 per cent and Samsung C&T had risen 3.2 per cent versus the broader market’s 1.1 per cent rise.
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