Lawyers and prosecutors spar at Samsung heir’s appeal trial

Lawyers for Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong and prosecutors sparred in court today as his appeals trial started off. The Samsung Electronics vice chairman is appealing an earlier ruling which sentenced him to five years in prison for bribery. It was confirmed soon after the ruling by his legal team that he intends to challenge the verdict in a higher court.

Lee was indicted earlier this year on charges related to bribery, embezzlement, concealment of assets and others. He’s alleged to have paid bribes to South Korea’s former president Park Geun-hye. The prosecutors wanted a 12 year jail sentence so they have appealed the initial ruling as well.

Samsung Heir’s Appeal Trial

The prosecutors are pushing for a longer jail term. They cited a past ruling on a North Korean spy case as a reason to justify a longer jail term for Lee Jae-yong. His lawyers are looking to get the jail term overturned altogether.

Lee Jae-yong was present in the courtroom this morning. According to reports, he appeared relaxed while both sides argued over the admissibility of evidence. He didn’t speak at all except for when he was asked to tell his birthdate and home address to the judges.

A ruling is expected on this appeal within the next few months.