Jay Y. Lee

Seoul, July 17, 2025 — South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the acquittal of Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee in a long-running legal battle over alleged accounting fraud and stock manipulation related to a controversial $8 billion merger in 2015.The verdict affirms rulings by both lower and appellate courts, ending a nearly decade-long saga that began when prosecutors accused Lee of orchestrating the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries to consolidate control over the tech conglomerate following his father's incapacitation.With the court’s decision, Lee is now permanently cleared of all charges, a development analysts say removes a…