三星繼承人李在镕被控行賄

South Korean prosecutors have charged Lee Jae-yong, Samsung’s de facto boss, with bribery and embezzlement in connection with the country’s sprawling political corruption scandal, leaving the company leaderless as it attempts to recover from the fallout surrounding its fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.

韓國檢方指控三星(Samsung)事實上的領導者李在镕(Lee Jae-yong)犯有與該國愈演愈烈的政治腐敗丑聞有關的賄賂和貪污罪，使該公司在試圖恢復元氣之際失去領導者;此前三星受到其Galaxy Note 7智能手機容易起火的打擊。

Yesterday’s move is a severe blow to plans within South Korea’s largest conglomerate to shift leadership to the third generation of the group’s founding family. Mr Lee is the grandson of legendary founder Lee Byung-chul.

對于韓國最大綜合企業(yè)集團內部向創(chuàng)始家族第三代交棒的計劃，昨日的舉動是一個沉重打擊。李在镕是具有傳奇色彩的三星創(chuàng)始人李秉喆(Lee Byung-chul)的孫子。

The indictment of the 48-year-old vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, along with four other executives, comes as the technology-to-finance group attempted to draw ahead of the deepening scandal by announcing a series of governance reforms, including dismantling its corporate strategy office, which has come under scrutiny for its role in lobbying political figures.

三星電子(Samsung Electronics) 48歲的副董事長以及另外四名高管面對刑事罪名之際，這家經營眾多業(yè)務(從高科技到金融)的集團正在努力擺脫不斷發(fā)酵的丑聞，該集團宣布了一系列治理改革措施，包括解散其公司戰(zhàn)略辦公室，該部門在游說政治人物方面的角色使其受到密切關注。

Prosecutors charged Mr Lee with bribing President Park Geun-hye and her confidante, Choi Soon-sil, with Won43bn ($38m) for political favours to smooth his succession and consolidate control over key group units.

檢方指控李在镕向樸槿惠(Park Geun-hye)總統(tǒng)及其閨蜜崔順實(Choi Soon-sil)行賄430億韓元(合3800萬美元)，以換取政治恩惠，讓他順利接棒，并鞏固對集團關鍵部門的控制。

Mr Lee has previously admitted making political donations to Ms Choi’s foundations but denied they were given in expectation of receiving anything in return. Samsung has claimed Mr Lee is a victim of the scandal, having been for­c­ed by Ms Park to make the donations.

李在镕早已承認向崔順實的基金會作出政治捐款，但否認那些捐贈是為了換取任何回報。三星聲稱，李在镕是這起丑聞的受害者，因為他是在樸槿惠施壓之下提供捐款的。

Ms Park said on Monday that companies made contributions in the public interest, not as bribes for favours.

樸槿惠周一表示，企業(yè)是出于公共利益而提供捐款，而不是為了換取恩惠而行賄。

Mr Lee has headed Samsung since his father and company chairman, Lee Kun-hee, was incapacitated by a heart attack in 2014. He was arrested this month, sparking concerns over a leadership vacuum at the conglomerate just as Samsung Electronics, the group’s crown jewel, scrambled to revive the fortunes of its mobile business.

自他的父親和公司董事長父親李健熙(Lee Kun-hee) 2014年因心臟病發(fā)作而失去能力以來，李在镕一直執(zhí)掌著三星。他在2月被捕，引發(fā)各方擔憂這家集團的高層出現真空，而三星電子作為集團的最寶貴資產，正在全力以赴重振其移動業(yè)務。

The company plans to launch its flagship smartphone Galaxy S8 on March 29, following last year’s costly safety debacle over the Galaxy Note 7, some of which burst into flames because of a faulty battery charging system.

該公司計劃在3月29日推出旗艦智能手機Galaxy S8，此前去年推向市場的Galaxy Note 7遭遇代價高昂的安全問題;由于電池充電系統(tǒng)存在缺陷，其中一些手機會突然著火。

The Samsung executives charged yesterday are among a group of more than 10 people facing indictment for their involvement in the scandal, which is poised to topple Ms Park. A special prosecutor is wrapping up a three-month investigation into the affair.

包括昨日被起訴的三星高管在內，共有10多人因為被牽扯到這起丑聞而面臨起訴;預計樸槿惠將因為該丑聞下臺。特別檢察官對這件事展開的為期三個月的調查已進入尾聲。

Although bribery can carry a life sentence in South Korea, heads of the country’s biggest companies previously convicted on such charges have received presidential pardons.

雖然賄賂在韓國可能被判無期徒刑，但該國以往被判這類罪名成立的大公司掌門人獲得了總統(tǒng)赦免。

Prosecutors said Mr Lee was also charged with hiding assets overseas, concealing profits allegedly made from illicit business activities and lying under oath during a parliamentary hearing about his role in the scandal.

檢方稱，李在镕還被指控在海外藏匿資產，隱瞞涉嫌從非法商業(yè)活動獲得的利潤，并在國會聽證會上在宣誓狀態(tài)下撒謊，對自己在丑聞中的作用作出虛假陳述。

Mr Lee denies wrongdoing. Samsung denied misconduct on its executives’ behalf but executive vice-president Lee June apologised “for the social controversy and distress we have caused”.

李在镕否認自己有任何不法行為。三星否認其高管有任何不當行為，但執(zhí)行副總裁李久恩(Lee June)表示“為我們引起的社會爭議和憂慮”道歉。