Samsung Electronics Co. (SSNLF) Vice Chair Lee Jae-yong was released from prison Monday after an appeals court suspended his sentence in a corruption case that brought down South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
The Seoul High Court reduced Lee’s five-year sentence for charges that included perjury, embezzlement and bribery to two-and-a-half years, with a four-year probation, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.
The ruling comes after the Samsung scion spent nearly a year behind bars. He was convicted on Aug. 25 of receiving favors in exchange for sizable financial contributions to Park and her confidante, Choi Soon-sil. Lee was the highest-profile business person caught up in the scandal, which eventually led to Park’s impeachment.
Prosecutors had initially sought 12 years for Lee, who pleaded not guilty to all charges of wrongdoing.
Lee has served as the de facto head of Samsung since his father, the company chair, was incapacitated by a heart attack in 2014.