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Former Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee appealed the verdict for tax evasion trial at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday. Lee was sentenced on July 16 to three years in jail suspended for five, for evading tax of W46.5 billion (US$1=W1,013). He was acquitted of illegally transferring Samsung Everland bonds, the group`s de facto holding company, to his son in 1996, and issuing bonds of Samsung SDS at a bargain price in 1999 by way of handing the group ownership to Lee Jae-yong without paying tax.
Prosecutors have appealed, and Lee is apparently counter-appealing since it is widely thought he might have to serve jail time if he is found guilty at second instance of any of the two charges he was acquitted of. If the prosecution only appeals, the law says the second court shall give no ruling lighter than the first instance. The maximum duration of a suspended jail sentence is three years, and the suspension term five years. Unless Lee is cleared of all tax evasion charges, he will not be able to get a lighter sentence. Lee Wan-soo, a lawyer of the group's legal team, said ˇ°We will fight to get our former chairman acquitted by clarifying that he did not evade taxes by fraud or irregular means.ˇ±
Special counsel Cho Joon-woong called the decision at first instance ˇ°too lenientˇ± and appealed the following day, pledging that he would dispute all aspects of the case -- legal principles, assessment, selection of evidence, and judgment. The Samsung Group waited until the deadline for appeal a week later.
Lee Hak-soo, the former vice chairman, Kim In-joo, the former president of Samsung Electronics, and Choi Kwang-hae, the vice president of the group`s now defunct strategic planning office, who were fined and received suspended sentence along with the ex-chairman, also appealed.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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