韩国法庭裁定没有足够证据逮捕三星副总裁

A South Korean court Thursday dismissed an arrest warrant request for the head of the Samsung Group, in a case that could affect the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye.

Jay Y. Lee, the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co. was held for 14 hours in a detention facility before the Seoul Central District Court ruled there was not enough evidence at this time to justify prosecutors' charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury.

“The court's decision to reject arrest warrant is very regrettable, but we will steadily continue the investigation by taking necessary measures," said a spokesman of the prosecutor's office.

Lee is suspected of paying President Park's influential friend Choi Soon-sil $36 million in return for the president's help to secure the approval of a state-run pension fund for a 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates.

The court's decision on the Samsung case could be a setback for prosecutors in the presidential impeachment trial also underway.

韩国一家法庭星期四决定不批准对三星集团负责人的逮捕令，这个案件与朴槿惠总统弹劾案有关。

三星集团副总裁李在镕在拘留所被关押了14个小时后，首尔中区法院裁定，目前没有足够证据为检察官提出的行贿、挪用款项和作伪证的指控提供法律依据。

检察官办公室发言人说，“法庭驳回逮捕令的决定令我们深感遗憾，但是我们会采取必要措施，继续进行调查。”

李在镕涉嫌向朴槿惠总统的密友崔顺实支付了3600万美元，换取总统的帮助，让国营退休基金批准2015年三星两个附属机构的合并案。

法庭这一裁决对于负责朴槿惠弹劾案的检察官一方是一个挫败。