South Korean court refuses arrest warrant for Samsung chief

A court in South Korea has refused to issue a warrant for the arrest of the acting head of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong, over his alleged role in a corruption and influence-peddling scandal that threatens to bring down the country’s impeached president, Park Geun-hye.

Special prosecutors investigating Park’s relationship with her long-time confidante, Choi Soon-sil, had demanded Lee’s arrest on charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury.

They accused Lee, the 48-year-old heir apparent to the Samsung group  of paying US$36.6 million in bribes to Choi. In return, he allegedly sought government approval for the controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates – a move that would smooth his path to the top of the Samsung group.

However, the judge at the Seoul central district court ruled early on Thursday that there was insufficient reason to arrest Lee over accusations of bribery, embezzlement and perjury. The decision came after an 18-hour deliberation that ended just before dawn.

Samsung, which has consistently denied any wrongdoing, said in a statement that the "merits of this case can now be determined without the need for detention".

The company has acknowledged making the payments but insists it did not expect anything in return.