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Samsung's Heir The Most Recent Arrest In South Korean Scandal

Lee Jae-yong was arrested on bribery charges. He's the most recent arrest in South Korea's on going presidential scandal.
Posted at 8:32 PM, Feb 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-16 20:32:00-05

The heir to Samsung — South Korea's biggest electronics company — was arrested Friday local time on bribery charges.

Lee Jae-yong is accused of paying as much as $38 million to the close friend of South Korea's embattled president, Park Geun-hye, in return for political favors — like getting a company merger approved by the government.

Park has been impeached and her presidential powers have been suspended while a court decides if she should be removed from office. The issue at hand is whether her friend Choi Soon-sil had a major influence over decisions — both political and personal.

The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into money given to Choi by multiple companies. 

Last month, a court ruled there wasn't enough evidence to arrest Lee on bribery charges, but prosecutors say they've collected more incriminating evidence since then.