( 2 nd LD ) Court rejects arrest warrant for Samsung heir Lee in succession probe ( ATTN : ADDS details in paras 6 - 8 , 10 - 11 ; TRIMS headline ) SEOUL , June 9 ( Yonhap ) -- A court in Seoul early Tuesday refused to issue an arrest warrant for Samsung Group ' s de facto leader , Lee Jae - yong , who are under investigation over succession - related allegations . The Seoul Central District Court turned down the prosecution ' s request to put Lee , vice chairman of Samsung Electronics , behind bars , citing that there is not sufficient probable cause for his arrest . Two other Samsung executives , Choi Gee - sung and Kim Jong - joong , from the group ' s now - disbanded control tower , the Future Strategy Office , also avoided arrest . " There was insufficient explanation on the need to arrest the defendants against the principle of trial without detention , " Judge Won Jung - sook said . " The basic facts ( of the case ) have been all explained . And prosecutors seem to have already secured considerable amount of evidence through its investigation , " she said . " In light of the importance of the case , whether the defendants are responsible , and if so , how much they are , should be determined through sufficient legal battles and court hearings . " The prosecution expressed frustration at the decision . " Given the seriousness of the case and a trove of evidence , the court ' s decision to reject ( the arrest warrants ) is a shame , " it said in a statement . " Regardless of the result , we will do our best to continue the investigation according to law and principle going forward , " it continued . Lee arrived at the court at around 10 a . m . on Monday to attend a hearing on the validity of his arrest , which lasted for early nine hours . At around 2 : 40 a . m . Tuesday , he emerged out of the Seoul Detention Center located in Uiwang , south of Seoul , where he had awaited the court ' s decision . Asked about how he felt about the decision , he didn ' t offer any answer , except for a short greeting to reporters , and left the scene in a black sedan . Lee is under probe in connection with the controversial merger of two Samsung affiliates in 2015 , a key process widely believed to help him take over control of the group from his ailing father , Lee Kun - hee . The three are accused of engaging in unfair trading , stock price manipulation and violation of laws on external audits . Lee Jae - yong , vice chairman of Samsung Electronics , leaves the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on June 8 , 2020 , after attending a hearing on the prosecution ' s arrest warrant request against him . ( Yonhap ) Investigators suspect the group ' s top management of having been deeply involved in what they believe was a systemic effort to help the father - to - son transition of Samsung ' s leadership . Lee ' s father has been bedridden since he suffered a heart attack in 2014 . They , in particular , believe that Lee was involved in a scheme to inflate the value of Cheil Industries Inc . and lower that of Samsung C & T prior to the merger in 2015 . Lee and his aides were also suspected of inflating the value of Samsung Bioepis , a joint venture between Samsung Biologics and the U . S . - based Biogen Inc . , by approximately 4 . 5 trillion won ( US $ 3 . 64 billion ) . Samsung Biologics is a subsidiary of Cheil Industries , of which Lee was the largest shareholder , with a stake of 23 . 2 percent . The probe began in November 2018 when the Securities and Futures Commission under the Financial Services Commission filed a complaint against Samsung Biologics over suspicions of accounting fraud . Prosecutors have since expanded the probe with suspicions that the alleged accounting fraud might have been aimed to help Lee assume control . Lee and the two executives have denied the allegations . Samsung has claimed that Lee was not briefed on , or ordered allegedly illegal transactions , including stock manipulation or accounting fraud . Lee was imprisoned for about a year in 2017 for bribing a confidante of former President Park Geun - hye in return for her administration ' s support for the 2015 merger . Lee Jae - yong , vice chairman of Samsung Electronics , leaves the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on June 8 , 2020 , after attending a hearing on the prosecution ' s arrest warrant request against him . ( Yonhap ) He was released in February 2018 after his sentence was suspended by an appeals court . But the Supreme Court ordered a retrial last year revising the size of the bribes . As part of efforts to soothe public anger over the conglomerate ' s alleged misdeeds and enhance its public image , Lee made a rare public apology in May over the succession - related allegations . He vowed not to hand down his Samsung managerial rights to his children . Early last week , Lee called for a public assessment , by an external panel , of the validity the prosecutors ' probe and a possible indictment . The system for review of the prosecution service ' s investigation by an external panel was introduced in 2018 to enhance neutrality and fairness of its probes into cases that are of great public interest . With the court decision not to arrest Lee , a decision by the panel is expected to influence the prosecution ' s move to indict him , although it is not legally - binding . The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it will internally discuss the request on Thursday . Prosecutors , who had reportedly planned to wrap up the probe and indict Lee this month , are widely expected to request an arrest warrant again , by presenting stronger evidence for his arrest . jaeyeon . woo @ yna . co . kr ( END )