Samsung Chairman Acquitted of Fraud and Manipulation Cases Linked to Merger of Two Affiliates

South Korea’s Supreme Court has issued its final ruling acquitting Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong in a controversial 2015 merger case.

The ruling follows charges against Lee for unfair trading, stock price manipulation, and accounting fraud during the 2015 merger of two of the group’s subsidiaries, Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T.

The merger was seen as crucial to Lee’s succession as heir to the family-controlled conglomerate, as his father, Lee Kun-hee, had suffered a heart attack the previous year. Prosecutors argued that the merger and other alleged wrongdoing were aimed at helping Lee consolidate control of South Korea’s largest conglomerate at the lowest cost.

Lee was acquitted of all 19 charges in the first trial and all 23 charges in the second trial after additional charges were added.