SEOUL • Samsung Group heir Lee Jae Yong left a South Korean jail a free man after a panel of judges suspended his sentence, a surprise decision that sent shockwaves through the country's political and business establishments.
Coming just days before South Koreans gather to host the Winter Olympics, yesterday's ruling reignited an intense public debate over widespread corruption in a case that ousted then president Park Geun Hye from office last year and has ensnared leading members of the family-run "chaebol" conglomerates.
Seoul High Court sentenced Mr Lee, 49, to 21/2 years in jail on charges including bribery and embezzlement - reducing the original term by half - but suspended the sentence for four years. He had been detained since last February.
Park, who denies wrongdoing, is standing trial accused of bribery, abuse of power and coercion. Receiving bribes can carry a sentence of life in jail.
Emerging from a Seoul detention centre where he had returned for his belongings after the ruling yesterday, Mr Lee stood in the frigid February air and apologised for "not showing my best side".
"The past year has been a really valuable time of looking back on myself," he told reporters in a sometimes shaky voice.
He added he needed to visit his ailing father, Samsung Group patriarch Lee Kun Hee, who suffered a heart attack in 2014.
The elder Mr Lee escaped a conviction for embezzlement and tax evasion when he was pardoned by former president Lee Myung Bak, viewed by some as a move to allow the patriarch to lead the campaign to secure the 2018 Winter Olympics for South Korea.
REFLECTION
The past year has been a really valuable time of looking back on myself.
SAMSUNG GROUP HEIR LEE JAE YONG
DISAPPOINTMENT
It's truly disappointing. We confirmed once again that Samsung is above the law and the court.
MR PARK YONG JIN, a National Assembly member from Mr Moon Jae In's party.
OUTRAGE
Powerful people always win, whether it's business or politics.
SECURITY GUARD JUNG MYEONG SUK
The decision to free Mr Lee Jae Yong presents a new headache for President Moon Jae In, who was elected last year on an anti-corruption platform in the wake of Park's impeachment.
"It's truly disappointing," Mr Park Yong Jin, a National Assembly member from Mr Moon's party, said in a statement. "We confirmed once again that Samsung is above the law and the court."
The outrage spread into the streets of Seoul. "Powerful people always win, whether it's business or politics," said 65-year-old security guard Jung Myeong Suk.
The case centred on payments Samsung made to Park's secret confidante Choi Soon Sil, with prosecutors arguing they were intended to secure government favours.
Partially agreeing with a lower court's ruling in August, the High Court convicted Mr Lee of bribing Park by supporting the equestrian career of Choi's daughter. He was also convicted of embezzlement.
But the appeals court said he did not seek any help from Park.
Mr Lee's case is now likely to go to the country's Supreme Court, where prosecutors said they will ask that the appeals court ruling be overturned, while Mr Lee's lawyers are likely to continue to ask that his convictions be thrown out.
With the end of his year-long detention, which according to local media he adjusted to with physical workouts and reading books, Mr Lee can return to his multiple corporate roles, including as director of flagship Samsung Electronics.
REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
