Samsung scion fined over illegal use of anesthetic

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong / Yonhap

Lee Jae-yong, the imprisoned de facto head of Samsung Group, was fined on Friday on charges of illegally taking propofol shots.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office slapped Lee with a 50 million won (US$44,800) fine in a summary indictment, which doesn’t require a formal trial.

Lee was accused of having excessively and illegally taken the anesthetic at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul in 2017-2018. A complaint was filed against him with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission in January 2020.

The 52-year-old Samsung scion, who was jailed in January for embezzlement and bribery, has denied the allegation, arguing that he used propofol “normally” in accordance with a doctor’s prescription.

In March, a panel of civilian experts recommended that the state prosecution service halt its investigation into Lee’s alleged propofol use. But the panel didn’t reach a decision on whether Lee should be indicted, with its 14 members evenly split on the matter. (Yonhap)