Seoul - The head of South Korea's giant
Samsung Group faces a long day in court on Wednesday as a judge
decides whether he should be arrested for bribery in a
corruption scandal that has engulfed President Park Geun-hye's
administration.
Investigators questioned Jay Y. Lee for 22 hours last week
as a suspect in the scandal which led to parliament impeaching
Park in December and throwing the country into crisis.
Park, 64, remains in office but has been stripped of her
powers while the Constitutional Court decides whether to make
her the country's first democratically elected leader to be
forced from office.
She is likely to undergo "face-to-face" questioning by early
next month, the special prosecutor's spokesman said.
The prosecutor's office has accused Lee, 48, of paying
bribes totalling 43 billion won ($36.55 million) to
organisations linked to Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the president
who is at the centre of the scandal, to secure the 2015 merger
of two affiliates and cement his control of the family business.
Lee, who has denied wrongdoing, is also accused of
embezzlement and perjury. Lee's lawyer could not be reached for
comment on Tuesday.
Seoul Central District Court will hold the hearing to decide
on his arrest warrant. A court official told Reuters that Lee
and his lawyer would attend the hearing.
A spokesman for the special prosecutor's team said Lee would
then be held in detention until the court had made its ruling.
"A judge's examination of a suspect normally finishes in 30
minutes at the earliest, but can take longer than two hours for
complicated matters, which is likely to be the case," the court
official said.
"Then, after the examination, the judge goes back to his
office to review records and evidence and deliberate arguments
of the prosecution's side and the suspect's side," said the
official, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity
of the matter.
Read also: Prosecutors accuse Samsung chief of bribery, seek arrest
"A final decision is more likely to be made at dawn on
Thursday, as there are tons of records, evidence and lots of
things to review."
Worries about the economy
There is a long history in South Korea of convicted bosses
of family-run conglomerates, known as "chaebol", being released
or having their sentences suspended, raising doubts among
investors seeking tighter corporate governance.
Business lobby groups worry that arresting Lee could
undermine confidence in the economy, Asia's fourth-largest, but
public anger persists over the influence-peddling scandal, with
protests each weekend drawing hundreds of thousands of
demonstrators demanding Park's immediate resignation.
Lee can apply for bail or appeal if the court grants the
arrest warrant.
Kim Kwang-sam, a former prosecutor who is currently in
private practice, said public emotion weighs heavily when making
decisions in such high-profile cases.
"The case is big and there is still enormous anger toward
the Choi Soon-sil scandal, so it can be difficult for the court
to release Lee on appeal," Kim said.
Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for the special prosecutor, said
Park would be questioned by early February.
Read also: A Presidential scandal and Samsung succession
"I cannot comment specifically on the timing of a
face-to-face investigation of the president, but I believe it
will need to happen by no later than early February," he told
reporters.
"The president has said she would submit to face-to-face
questioning, but if she refuses to comply there is no realistic
way to force it."
Choi, the president's long-time friend without any
government title, is in jail on trial for abuse of power,
attempted fraud and bribery. She has denied wrongdoing.
She has also been accused of meddling in state affairs using
her personal connections, even, according to media, of exerting
her influence to choose a new, unpopular police uniform which
bleached in the wash.