Mastermind or naive? Samsung heir's fate hinges on the question

He didn't know enough about Samsung or Korean politics to commit crimes he is accused of: Lawyers

The criminal trial of Lee Jae-yong, who controls Samsung, one of the world’s largest corporate empires, has riveted South Korea since it began last spring. Prosecutors have cast him as a mastermind bent on breaking the law to protect his family’s wealth and power. He says he is a detached leader with little knowledge of the inner workings of his own companies.

Now, his fate hinges on which narrative a judge believes.

Lee, Samsung’s de facto leader and the third generation of his family to run the sprawling conglomerate, on Friday faces a verdict in a blockbuster bribery trial. The