Samsung group heir should not be indicted, recommends South Korea panel

An outside panel in South Korea suggested that prosecutors should not indict Jay Y Lee over a 2015 merger and alleged accounting fraud

SEOUL (Reuters) - An outside panel in South Korea recommended that prosecutors should not indict Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee over a 2015 merger and alleged accounting fraud, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said on Friday.

The recommendation could help pave the way for Lee's attorneys to challenge the justification for the prosecution's case to try him on charges stemming from the 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates.

While the panel can offer recommendations in the case, prosecutors are not legally bound to follow its findings.

 

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Sangmi Cha; Editing by Kim Coghill)