SEOUL—Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was arrested for alleged graft after a court on Thursday approved an arrest warrant, making him the country’s latest ex-leader to face corruption charges.
Prosecutors accuse Mr. Lee, a conservative who was in office from 2008 to 2013, of receiving $5.85 million from Samsung Electronics and using it to pay legal fees for DAS Corp., according to court documents. DAS Corp. is a South Korean car-parts maker that is majority owned by Mr. Lee’s brother, according to stock filings. Mr. Lee is also accused of siphoning funds from DAS, according to court documents.
Prosecutors also allege Mr. Lee used funds intended for the country’s spy agency for personal use, according to court documents.
Mr. Lee and his lawyers couldn’t be immediately reached for comment. As he entered the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning last week, Mr. Lee made a brief televised statement in which he didn’t address the allegations directly and said he was “regretful for causing concern.”
A spokeswoman for Samsung declined to comment. A spokesman for DAS also declined to comment.
Judges reviewed more than 80,000 pages of evidence after prosecutors filed the arrest warrant on Monday, South Korean broadcaster YTN reported, before Judge Park Beom-seok approved the warrant against Mr. Lee.
“Considering the suspect’s status, the seriousness of the allegations, and the circumstances surrounding the case, the court finds it necessary to arrest the suspect,” the Seoul Central District Court said late Thursday.
Mr. Lee and his supporters have accused current President Moon Jae-in’s administration of orchestrating a politically motivated investigation.
The Moon administration has denied the accusations.
Mr. Moon was elected on a platform that included pledges to clamp down on cozy relations between corporations and politicians in the wake of a 2016 graft scandal that led to the impeachment of Mr. Moon’s immediate predecessor, Park Geun-hye.
Ms. Park was indicted in April on 18 charges including bribery, abuse of power, and disclosing state secrets. She denies the charges.
Mr. Moon was the lawyer for former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2009, when Mr. Lee’s administration investigated Mr. Roh regarding alleged bribes. Mr. Roh, who was in office from 2003 to 2008, committed suicide in May 2009.
Two other former South Korean presidents were convicted on charges including graft after leaving office. Both were later pardoned. South Korea has had 12 presidents since the country’s founding in 1948. Sons of two more presidents have been separately accused of graft.
Write to Andrew Jeong at andrew.jeong@wsj.com