Samsung chief Jay Y Lee pleads guilty to use of illegal substance
Al Jazeera
Under South Korean law, the recipient of a controlled substance that was given illegally is liable for prosecution.
Samsung conglomerate chief Jay Y Lee has pleaded guilty in court to a charge of unlawful use of a controlled substance, as legal woes continue to haunt the executive even after his release on parole in August following a bribery conviction.
Lee’s release had raised market watchers’ expectations of a flurry of major decisions at crown jewel Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and its affiliates, including the location of a $17bn chip factory being planned in the United States.
But Lee’s legal troubles continued on Tuesday at the Seoul Central District Court where, in a short first hearing on the matter, Lee said he received propofol – a sedative used in anaesthesia – 41 times from 2015 through 2020.