South Korea prosecution to decide on Samsung chief arrest warrant by Wednesday

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean special prosecutor's office said it will decide by no later than Wednesday on whether to request an arrest warrant for Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee.

Lee, third-generation leader of the country's top conglomerate, was questioned for more than 15 hours after being summoned as a suspect by the special prosecution on Monday. He is accused of pledging payments to a company and organisations backed by President Park Geun-hye's confidant, Choi Soon-sil, to win support for a 2015 merger of two affiliates.

Last month, a court rejected the special prosecution's first request for an arrest warrant for Lee.

 

(Reporting by Se Young Lee and Ju-min Park; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)