S. Korea court dismisses request to arrest Samsung heir-apparent
The decision by the Seoul Central District Court came after the special prosecutor earlier this week sought an arrest warrant for Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., who was questioned by an independent counsel team as a bribery suspect last week.
A spokesman for the prosecutors had said the amounts of bribes given to Choi total 43 billion won (about $36.6 million), including some money promised but not given.
Lee, 48, has effectively led the Samsung group since his father, group chairman Lee Kun Hee, suffered a heart attack in May 2014.
The special prosecutor's team expressed regret over the court's decision to reject the arrest warrant.
"It's deeply regrettable," Lee Kyu Chul, spokesman for the special prosecutor's team, told reporters.
"We plan to take necessary measures and carry out unwavering investigation (into the case)," he said.
The spokesman said the special prosecutor's team and the court have "shown differences in legal views on the charges."
Samsung is alleged to have given undue financial support to Choi in return for business favors.
The questioning of Lee Jae Yong focused on allegations that Samsung struck a 22 billion won (about $18.3 million) contract with a Germany-based company owned by Choi and her daughter under the guise of a consulting arrangement to fund the daughter's equestrian training.
The special counsel team has recently launched a widening investigation into the scandal involving Park, Choi and South Korea's business conglomerates, which led to the impeachment of the president by parliament in December.
Investigators are looking into suspicions that Park pressured the state-run National Pension Service to support a controversial merger of the Samsung group's two units in 2015 in return for Samsung's financial support for Choi.
The merger is believed to have been designed to facilitate ownership transfer in Samsung by solidifying Lee's influence in the company's management as heir-apparent.
Park, whose five-year single term ends in February 2018, fell into disgrace after being impeached by parliament, following massive street protests across the nation.
The Constitutional Court has until early June to deliberate on the legitimacy of the impeachment vote.
The influence-peddling scandal revolves around Choi, who was indicted on charges of meddling in key state affairs and using her ties with Park for financial gain.
Park was also labeled by state prosecutors as a co-conspirator in various criminal charges brought against Choi and two of Park's former secretaries, becoming the first president in South Korean history to face a criminal investigation as a primary suspect.
