Prosecutors Seek Arrest Warrant for Samsung Chief

Prosecutors filed for an arrest warrant on Thursday for Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong after his application for a public review of the investigation failed to stall proceedings.

Lee is accused of accounting fraud and other violations in a complex fiddle to hand control of the publicly traded conglomerate to him from his ailing father.

In 2017, Lee was convicted of bribing ex-President Park Geun-hye to help ease the handover, but he was paroled in February 2018.

The Samsung chief filed for a public review on Tuesday to buy himself more time, but prosecutors said the review covers only the possibility of an indictment and is "unrelated" to the filing of an arrest warrant.

Samsung said it is "unfortunate" that prosecutors are seeking to "neutralize" Lee's right to seek an objective review of the investigation.