Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong interrogated for second day

Seoul’s central court authorised Lee’s arrest after the prosecution presented new charges and evidence regarding obstruction of justice and the violation of a law on the transfer of assets overseas, among others.

Lee was taken into custody at Seoul Detention Center, where he was already being held during several court hearings.

Korean media reported that Lee Jae-yong was arrested and physically detained on charges that include bribery to Korean President Park Geun-hye and some of her close acquaintances.

Prosecutors have up to 10 days to indict Mr Lee, Samsung’s third-generation leader, although they can seek an extension.

“We acknowledge the cause and necessity of the arrest”, said Judge Han Jeong-seok of the Seoul Central District Court which had previously said there was not enough evidence to arrest Lee. His grandfather, Lee Byung-chul, was the founder of the Samsung Group, and had faced smuggling charges but was not arrested. Prosecutors allege the payments were made in exchange for government backing of a contentious merger of two Samsung affiliates that consolidated Lee’s control of Samsung Electronics. Both Geun-hye and Lee have denied wrongdoing in the case.

The leader of Samsung, the South Korean-based tech conglomerate, was arrested Friday for allegedly bribing a government confidante so he could permanently take over the company.

Amid uncertainty about its own future leadership, Samsung previous year suffered the embarrassing failure of its Note 7 phone, which proved so prone to self-combustion that it was banned from U.S. airlines and had to be withdrawn from the market and recalled.

Samsung is accused of seeking favourable treatment regarding a restructuring of the company from the president and has admitted to donating money to two foundations in the country.

In the meantime, a court is still weighing December’s impeachment vote against Park, whose powers have been shifted to the prime minister and acting president as proceedings unfold.

Samsung Chairman Kun-Hee Lee has been in poor health for the past couple of years, and his only son, Jay Y. Lee, has assumed some responsibilities overseeing the conglomerate that makes up more than a fifth of South Korea’s gross domestic product.