Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, also known as Jay Y. Lee in the West, has been released from prison after a successful appeal. Lee had been sentenced to five years after being found guilty of perjury, embezzlement, and bribery in a scandal that led to the removal of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye last year. In addition to receiving a suspended prison sentence today, Lee’s prison term was reduced to two and a half years, although he’s free to go with four years’ probation after being incarcerated for almost a year, according to Bloomberg.
Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong released from prison on appeal
Prison term cut to 2.5 years, 4 years of probation
Prison term cut to 2.5 years, 4 years of probation
Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
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Lee is the son of infamous Lee Kun-hee, the incapacitated chairman of the Samsung Group, and as such is presumed heir to the throne. However, due to a tradition of filial piety, the role of chairman may not pass down to Lee Jae-yong until his father actually passes away. The elder Lee had also been convicted of tax evasion and bribery, only to be later pardoned on two separate occasions.
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