Samsung's Jay Y Lee faces a retrial that could put him back in jail

Lee is the designated heir to South Korea's largest conglomerate and a national icon

South Korea’s highest court ordered the retrial of Samsung Electronics Vice-Chairman Jay Y Lee over bribery charges, reviving legal uncertainty around the company just as it is navigating global trade turmoil.

The Supreme Court voided an earlier decision to suspend Lee’s 2.5-year prison sentence and is sending the case back to the lower court.

Lee may end up going to prison again, having previously served a year after getting arrested in February 2017.

He was released in 2018 after the Seoul High Court halved what had originally been a 5-year term and suspended it for four years.