Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee arrived Friday for a second round of questioning by an independent counsel probing allegations of bribery and other wrongdoing at South Korea’s biggest industrial conglomerate. Lee, 66, appeared at the office of the special prosecutor for the second time in a week and did not speak to waiting reporters. Lee was summoned for the first time last Friday and spent almost 11 hours with special prosecutors. The independent counsel, sanctioned by South Korea’s National Assembly and former president, began its probe in January. Investigators have until April 23 to collect evidence.
Kim Yong-chul, a former top lawyer for Samsung, claimed in November that the conglomerate had 200 billion won ($205 million) in a slush fund and used it to bribe prosecutors and judges. He also alleged that Lee’s wife, who heads a Samsung art museum, used some of the money to buy expensive paintings from abroad.
Samsung denied Kim’s allegations when they were raised. Samsung Group is a massive conglomerate consisting of dozens of businesses. It has interests in industries including electronics, shipbuilding, construction, insurance and leisure. Besides the slush fund, bribery and art claims, investigators are looking into long-simmering allegations of murky dealings involving the family-run group’s complex ownership structure. South Korean conglomerates, known as “chaebol,” have long been accused of influence-peddling as well as dubious transactions between subsidiaries to help controlling families evade taxes and transfer wealth to heirs. Special prosecutors questioned Lee’s wife for more than six hours last week. His son, an executive at Samsung Electronics, brother-in-law and senior Samsung Group officials have also endured hours of questioning.
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