South Korean court approves arrest of Samsung heir in connection to massive corruption scandal

A South Korean court has approved the arrest of the Samsung heir in connection to a massive corruption scandal.

The arrest of Lee Jae-yong, a vice chairman at Samsung Electronics and the only son of the Samsung chair, Lee Kun-hee, will shock the business community.

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The arrest was approved by Seoul Central District Court.

Prosecutors can detain Lee for up to 20 days before deciding whether to formally indict him.

The tech heir avoided arrest in January when the court dismissed the prosecutors' request.

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The special prosecution team, probing the influence-peddling scandal that led to the impeachment of the country's president, said they have gathered more evidence.

Prosecutors believe Samsung bribed President Park Geun-hye and her close friend to win government favours for a smooth leadership transition.

In a statement a court spokesman said: "It is acknowledged that it is necessary to arrest (Lee Jae-Yong) in light of a newly added criminal charge and new evidence."

The Seoul Central District Court rejected a second request to issue an arrest warrant for Samsung Electronics Co Ltd President Park Sang-jin.

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