Seoul: The Supreme Court is set to deliver the final verdict Thursday for Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong in a controversial merger case dating back to 2015. The sentencing hearing, scheduled for 11:15 a.m., will wrap up a trial that began four years and 10 months ago on charges Lee was involved in unfair trading, stock price manipulation, and accounting fraud during the 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates, Cheil Industries Inc. and Samsung C and T Corp.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee was acquitted of all 19 charges in both the first and second trials. Prosecutors appealed the appellate ruling, arguing that the merger and other alleged irregularities were intended to help Lee solidify control of South Korea's largest conglomerate at minimal cost.