Lee Jae-yong, both chairman and heir to Samsung, was prosecuted for accounting fraud in connection with the merger of two of the group's companies in 2015. According to his critics, the merger was intended to ensure a smooth transfer of power. But the court ruled that there had been no "intention to harm shareholders", according to the Yonhap news agency. Ednews reports citing La Tribune.

Relief for the boss of Samsung. On Monday, he was acquitted by a South Korean court. Lee Jae-yong, who is also the company's heir, was being prosecuted for accounting fraud in connection with the merger of two of the group's companies in 2015.

However, according to the Yonhap news agency, the court found that there was no "intention to harm shareholders" through the merger, which, according to the heir's critics, was intended in particular to ensure a smooth transfer of power to Lee Jae-yong, a descendant of Samsung's founding family.

According to Yonhap, the prosecution had requested five years' imprisonment and a fine of 500 million won (around 347,000 euros) last November, arguing that the company had "observed a tax-free succession procedure at Samsung, particularly in the Everland convertible bond case" and that "Samsung attempted to carry out a cost-free succession and succeeded". Lee Jae-yong, for his part, pleaded his innocence, insisting that the purpose of these operations was to have "a new engine for growth".