Vice President of Samsung Electronics Jay Y. Lee Appeared in Court on Monday

Vice President of Samsung Electronics, Jay Y. Lee, appeared in court on Monday in South Korea for a hearing to determine whether he should be jailed for accounting fraud and his role in a controversial merger between two Samsung affiliates.

 

Seoul Central Court is expected to decide Monday or Tuesday whether to issue an arrest warrant against him. Prosecutors had asked the court to do so on Thursday.

51-year-old Lee, wearing a mask and dark suit, did not answer questions from reporters before entering court.

Lee spent approximately a year in prison until February 2018 for his role in a bribery scandal. In addition, he was accused of giving horses as a gift to gain support from the government of former President Park Geun-Hye for a merger of two Samsung affiliates in 2015.

The merger gave him greater control over the Samsung group and the crown jewel Samsung Electronics Co, South Korea’s largest company.

Samsung denied Lee’s allegations of inventory manipulation on Friday, saying it was “not common sense” to claim that he was involved in the decision-making process.