A South Korean court jailed Samsung Electronics vice chairman Jay Y. Lee for five years today.

The Seoul Central District Court was delivering its verdict on charges against Lee, 49, ranging from bribery to perjury in a scandal that led to the ouster in March of the then president, Park Geun-hye.

Lee, the 49-year-old heir to one of the world's biggest corporate empires, has been in detention since February, facing trial on charges that he bribed Park.

Hundreds of rowdy, diehard supporters of ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye rallied outside the court demanding Lee's acquittal.

Park was forced from office in disgrace in March but the unwavering belief in her innocence has driven many of her supporters, mostly older women and men, to turn out for Lee, whose conviction, they believe, would almost certainly mean a guilty verdict for Park in her trial.

"The trials of former President Park Geun-hye and Samsung Jay Y. Lee go hand in hand," said Son Tong-sok, 63, who heads a conservative group, holding a Korean flag.

Park became the first democratically elected leader to be removed from office over charges that she colluded with her friend, Choi Soon-sil, to take bribes from conglomerates including Samsung.

 

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