Judge trying Samsung heir tied to Choi Soon
Alleged links have been found between the judge presiding over the trial of Samsung Group heir apparent Lee Jae-yong and Choi Soon-sil, sparking controversy over the fairness of the trial.
Choi is a central figure in the scandal that led to President Park Geun-hye's impeachment. Samsung Group’s de facto chief is suspected of having offered kickbacks to Choi-controlled foundations in return for political favors from the the Park administration.
Samsung Group’s heir apparent Lee Jae-yong (center) (Yonhap)
Judge Lee Young-hoon, who is currently trying Lee and other Samsung officials, is the son-in-law of Lim Jung-pyung, 76, who is close to Choi, an opposition lawmaker revealed on a radio program.
“When I went to Germany to dig into the Choi Soon-sil scandal, I was told that a doctor, surnamed Lim, asked a Korean elder there to help Choi,” Ahn said, calling Lim a “guardian” for Choi.
“Lim is the father-in-law of the senior justice, surnamed Lee, who is trying Lee on charges of bribery.”
“Though it might not have been intentional, there must be controversy over the fairness of the trial,” An added.
The Seoul Central District Court confirmed that the justice is the son-in-law of Lim, who in the 1980s introduced a young Choi to his acquaintance residing in Germany to help her settle there.
“Lee did not know that his father-in-law had a link to the Choi family until media reports surfaced,” the court explained. “It is not true that Lim had served as a guardian for Choi.”
Lim met Choi Tae-min, Choi Soon-sil’s father and a religious cult leader, only once. He has not been in touch with the Choi family since Park Chung-hee, Park‘s father and former president, was assassinated in 1979, the court added.
Lim is an honorary professor at Dankook University and has also served on the board of directors for the Jeongsoo Scholarship Foundation set up by Park Chung-hee for about four years. It was also once headed by Park Geun-hye.
The court said it is not considering reassigning the case to another judge. It allocated the bribery case to the current Justice Lee through an agreement, not random selection.
The bribery case was initially assigned to Judge Cho Eui-yeon, who once rejected an arrest warrant for the Samsung Group’s de facto leader. The court changed the judge upon Cho’s request.
The Samsung Group’s de facto leader is being tried for bribery, embezzlement and perjury.
Lee is suspected of offering bribes of 43 billion won ($38 million) to Choi in exchange for the state pension agency’s backing of the merger of two Samsung affiliates. The merger was a crucial step for the young tycoon -- the only son of bedridden Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee -- to tighten his grip on his family’s massive corporate empire.
He is also accused of hiding assets abroad, concealing profits made from illegal business activities and committing perjury during a parliamentary hearing on the corruption scandal.
By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)
Choi is a central figure in the scandal that led to President Park Geun-hye's impeachment. Samsung Group’s de facto chief is suspected of having offered kickbacks to Choi-controlled foundations in return for political favors from the the Park administration.
Judge Lee Young-hoon, who is currently trying Lee and other Samsung officials, is the son-in-law of Lim Jung-pyung, 76, who is close to Choi, an opposition lawmaker revealed on a radio program.
“When I went to Germany to dig into the Choi Soon-sil scandal, I was told that a doctor, surnamed Lim, asked a Korean elder there to help Choi,” Ahn said, calling Lim a “guardian” for Choi.
“Lim is the father-in-law of the senior justice, surnamed Lee, who is trying Lee on charges of bribery.”
“Though it might not have been intentional, there must be controversy over the fairness of the trial,” An added.
The Seoul Central District Court confirmed that the justice is the son-in-law of Lim, who in the 1980s introduced a young Choi to his acquaintance residing in Germany to help her settle there.
“Lee did not know that his father-in-law had a link to the Choi family until media reports surfaced,” the court explained. “It is not true that Lim had served as a guardian for Choi.”
Lim met Choi Tae-min, Choi Soon-sil’s father and a religious cult leader, only once. He has not been in touch with the Choi family since Park Chung-hee, Park‘s father and former president, was assassinated in 1979, the court added.
Lim is an honorary professor at Dankook University and has also served on the board of directors for the Jeongsoo Scholarship Foundation set up by Park Chung-hee for about four years. It was also once headed by Park Geun-hye.
The court said it is not considering reassigning the case to another judge. It allocated the bribery case to the current Justice Lee through an agreement, not random selection.
The bribery case was initially assigned to Judge Cho Eui-yeon, who once rejected an arrest warrant for the Samsung Group’s de facto leader. The court changed the judge upon Cho’s request.
The Samsung Group’s de facto leader is being tried for bribery, embezzlement and perjury.
Lee is suspected of offering bribes of 43 billion won ($38 million) to Choi in exchange for the state pension agency’s backing of the merger of two Samsung affiliates. The merger was a crucial step for the young tycoon -- the only son of bedridden Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee -- to tighten his grip on his family’s massive corporate empire.
He is also accused of hiding assets abroad, concealing profits made from illegal business activities and committing perjury during a parliamentary hearing on the corruption scandal.
By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
相关内容
- Tesla Robotaxis aren't coming in August, it seems
- How #NeverTrumpers are reacting to Election Day.
- My favorite college professor was YouTube
- Apple's streaming service is coming as soon as April, report says
- Apple to start manufacturing iPhone Pro in India, report claims
- Students get free entry at second Rawalpindi Test but what’s the catch?
- Nick Clegg says Facebook to open another 'war room' to fight fake news
- 绗崄涓夊眾涓浗姘戦棿鑹烘湳鑺傚湪闈掑矝瑗挎捣宀告柊鍖哄紑灞曟枃鑹烘儬姘戞紨鍑篲涓浗灞变笢缃慱闈掑矝
- New Poll: Democrats really hate Vladimir Putin.
- Cheap heat
- Gov't at odds over suspending inter
- Masculinity is having a moment
- 徐峥、吴京等6位导演发起金钥匙创投计划,青岛影视周亮点纷呈
推荐文章
-
Black Friday GPU Buying Guide: November GPU Pricing Update
There's a lot to discuss in this month's GPU pricing update with some updates regarding Nvidia's upc ...[详细] -
Lyft now has permission to test self
Lyft just took a small but essential step forward in the development of its own self-driving car pro ...[详细] -
6月10日是2023年文化和自然遗产日,今年的活动主题为“文物保护利用与文化自信自强”。为迎接即将到来的文化和自然遗产日,青岛市博物馆推出多项丰富多彩的文博活动。新展启幕:拓传 ...[详细]
-
'Metroid Prime 4' development restarts after two years
Metroid Prime 4 just hit quite the development speed bump.Development on Metroid Prime 4for Nintendo ...[详细] -
I went to an offline dating event for singles. Here's how it went.
It's a Wednesday night in south-east London and dozens of intrepid young single people are sitting c ...[详细] -
15日,苍坪路农贸市场周边已无流动商贩,道路干净整洁。市区苍坪路农贸市场周边脏乱差现象由来已久。市场周边流动商贩、乱堆杂物、跨门店经营、违规搭建雨棚等现象屡禁不止。为进一步改善中心城区容貌秩序,提升城 ...[详细]
-
Lyft now has permission to test self
Lyft just took a small but essential step forward in the development of its own self-driving car pro ...[详细] -
以数据要素乘数效应助力现代农业!“数据要素×”三年行动计划发布
以数据要素乘数效应助力现代农业!“数据要素×”三年行动计划发布_南方+_南方plus近日,国家数据局等17部门联合印发《“数据要素×”三年行动计划2024—2026年)》以下简称“《行动计划》”)。作 ...[详细] -
Supercritical geothermal power: Limitless promise or impossible dream?
Supercritical geothermal power holds the promise of meeting humanity's energy needs for millions of ...[详细] -
US will continuously monitor N. Korea's satellite launch plan: Pentagon spokesperson
Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder takes questions during a briefing at the Penta ...[详细]
热点阅读
随机内容
- The Best AMD Ryzen Gaming Laptops (So Far)
- [Photo News] Early voting despite virus fears
- Woman almost rents the devil's house because it has a great bathtub
- [Photo News] Early voting despite virus fears
- The Wonderful World of Christmas Trees
- Woman almost rents the devil's house because it has a great bathtub
- Closure of diplomatic buildings highlights North Korea’s dire financial troubles