Samsung’s CEO has been fined by a South Korean court for illegally using a sedative. Lee Jae-yong previously confessed that he had often been administered propofol, an anaesthetic used in anaesthesia.
According to his lawyers, Lee was given the drug 41 times over a doctor’s prescription over five years. He had entered treatment after his father’s hospitalisation in 2014, who was then CEO of Samsung. The judge fined Lee 70 million won, converting more than 50,000 euros.
Staff at the clinic where Lee was given the sedative have denied doing anything wrong. However, they will be tried separately because both the recipient of an illegally administered substance and those who administer it can be held liable under South Korean law.
Samsung’s leader has been in legal trouble for years. He was released on parole in August after he was convicted in a bribery scandal.
However, Lee could still end up in jail if convicted on other charges. For example, his involvement in financial crimes is still under investigation in connection with a merger of two Samsung subsidiaries in 2015.
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