S. Korean prosecutor seeks 12 years in prison for Samsung heir in appeals court

SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's independent counsel on Wednesday sought 12 years in prison for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong in an appeals court for bribery charges.

Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo asked a Seoul appellate court to sentence Lee, heir apparent of Samsung Group, the country's biggest family-controlled conglomerate, to 12 years in jail.

It was the identical sentence demanded by the independent counsel in the fist trial. Lee has been taken into custody and was sentenced in August to five years behind the bars.

The special prosecutor said the case involving the Samsung heir was the prototype of collusive ties between political power and businessmen, claiming that Lee offered bribes to impeached President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante in return for getting assistance to inherit management control from his ailing father Lee Kun-hee.

Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil have been identified as criminal accomplice for multiple charges such as abuse of power and bribery. The first trial of them had yet to be completed.

Meanwhile, the special prosecutor demanded 10 years in prison for four other Samsung executives and seven-year imprisonment for another Samsung executive for their involvement in the bribery charges. Enditem