A court in South Korea has sentenced Samsung’s billionaire heir-apparent Lee Jae-yong to five years in prison for corruption.
Lee was convicted of bribery in a scandal that also saw the impeachment of South Korea’s former president.
The case has gripped the public amid growing anger against South Korea’s biggest companies, known as chaebols.
Lee, who denied all charges, had faced a jail sentence of up to 12 years.
Also
known as Jay Y Lee, the de facto head of the world’s largest smartphone
maker had been detained since February on a string of corruption
charges.
These included bribery, embezzlement and hiding assets overseas.
The
49-year-old is accused of giving donations worth 41bn won ($36m; £29m)
to non-profit foundations operated by Choi Soon-sil, a friend of South
Korea’s former President Park Geun-hye, in return for political favours.
Prosecutors
said the donations were made to Ms Park’s confidante to win government
support for a big restructuring of Samsung that would strengthen Lee’s
control over Samsung Electronics.
But Lee’s defence team said that the payments were signed off without his knowledge.
Lee
has previously admitted that the firm also gave a horse and money to
help the equestrian career of Choi’s daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, but denied
seeking favours.
Lee was accused of bribery in a scandal that also witnessed the
impeachment of South Korea’s former president. The case has gripped the
public amid growing anger against South Korea’s biggest companies, known
as chaebols.
Lee, who denied all charges initially faced a jail sentence of up to 12 years.