Jay Y. Lee, the billionaire heir to South Korea’s Samsung Group, should find some comfort that its crown jewel Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd has reported record profit every quarter since he was jailed in February, making him even richer.

Detained over charges that he bribed former president Park Geun-hye, Lee has since missed the launch of two new flagship phones and three record-breaking quarterly earnings, including July-September earnings guidance yesterday.

He will also be briefed that his top lieutenant and chief executive of Samsung Electronics, Kwon Oh-hyun, has decided to step down to make way for a new leader.

Kwon, who was expected to take a bigger role following Lee’s arrest and the departures of other key executives in the wake of the bribery scandal, made the surprise announcement yesterday when Samsung also forecast record quarterly profit on the back of the memory chip business.

While Lee is unable to do much to minimise a leadership vacuum at one of the world’s biggest technology firms, the 49-year-old Samsung scion will get some solace that Samsung is chugging along without him.

He may also like to know his wealth, in terms of his stake in Samsung Electronics, has increased by at least 45 per cent since his arrest.

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