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A special counsel investigating the Samsung corruption allegation will on Thursday question Lee Jae-yong, the only son of Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, as part of its probe of alleged underhand attempts to pass the group ownership to Lee junior.
Investigators had also summoned JoongAng Ilbo chairman Hong Suk-hyun, Lee Kin-hee¡¯s brother in law, who will appear for questioning this weekend or early next week.
The questioning of Lee Jae-yong will focus on whether he won the managerial right of the conglomerate by purchasing convertible bonds of the conglomerate¡¯s quasi-holding company Everland at a below market price. He will also be questioned about whether he has increased his wealth through investment in Samsung SDS, eSamsung and Commtech Co. Civic organizations have accused Lee junior of benefiting from those financial schemes, but he has never been questioned by authorities about them.
The team will question Hong about allegations that he obtained the managerial rights of the newspaper in return for helping Lee Jae-yong acquire Everland bonds cheaply. Investigators will also ask him whether he holds a stake in the JoongAng Ilbo by proxy for the Samsung chairman.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, the organization that first made the allegations public, on Wednesday criticized the special counsel for failing to uncover the truth of the corruption scandal.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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