Samsung heir set to appeal his prison sentence

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested earlier this year on charges including bribery and corruption. He denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings but the court found him guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison. Lee Jae-yong, who is also the heir apparent to the conglomerate, is set to begin his appeal against the prison sentence tomorrow.

He was convicted by a lower court last month on charges that included bribing the country's former president Park Geun-hye. Lee's legal team had said last month that he had every intention of appealing the decision.

The process of his appeal starts tomorrow with the Seoul High Court setting the order of witnesses and evidence for the appeal trial. The appeal trial is expected to being by mid-October. Lee has hired a new legal team for the appeal.

It's possible that a ruling on the appeal will be passed by the court by January next year. As per South Korean law, he can only be kept in detention for a maximum of four months while the court considers his appeal.

Even if he loses this round, Lee will have another right of appeal before the country's Supreme Court. Then again, this right will also be available to the prosecutors. His legal troubles are far from over.

Adnan Farooqui - Executive Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-E900

Adnan Farooqui is a long-term writer at SamMobile. Based in Pakistan, his interests include technology, finance, Swiss watches and Formula 1. His tendency to write long posts betrays his inclination to being a man of few words.

Via Business Lee Jae-yong Samsung Electronics