South Korea prosecutors seek arrest of Samsung chief for bribery

South Korea's special prosecutors' office said on Monday it was seeking a warrant to arrest the head of Samsung Group, accusing him of paying multi-million dollar bribes to a friend of President Park Geun-hye.

Samsung Group chief Lee Jae-yong was questioned for 22 straight hours last week as investigators probed a corruption scandal that resulted in parliament impeaching Park last month.

The special prosecutors' office accused Lee of paying bribes totalling 43 billion won (€34.34 million) to Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the president who is at the centre of scandal.

Lee, who became the de facto head of the Samsung Group after his father, Lee Kun-hee, suffered a heart attack in 2014, was also accused of embezzlement and perjury in the prosecution's application for an arrest warrant.

Seoul's central district court said a hearing would be held at 10:30am local time (2:30 CET) on Wednesday to decide whether to approve the warrant.

"The special prosecutors' office, in making this decision to seek an arrest warrant, determined that while the country's economic conditions are important, upholding justice takes precedence," Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for the office, told a media briefing.

Samsung said it could not accept the accusations that Lee paid bribes.

"It is difficult to understand the special prosecutors' decision," it said in a statement.