Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong released from prison on appeal
https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/5/16972818/samsung-ceo-wins-bribery-appeal
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 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, though he’s free to go on four years probation after being incarcerated for almost a year, according to Bloomberg.
Lee is the son of infamous Lee Kun-hee, the incapacitated chairman of the Samsung Group, and 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.