三星继承人李在镕被控行贿

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.

韩国检方指控三星(Samsung)事实上的领导者李在镕(Lee Jae-yong)犯有与该国愈演愈烈的政治腐败丑闻有关的贿赂和贪污罪，使该公司在试图恢复元气之际失去领导者;此前三星受到其Galaxy Note 7智能手机容易起火的打击。

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.

对于韩国最大综合企业集团内部向创始家族第三代交棒的计划，昨日的举动是一个沉重打击。李在镕是具有传奇色彩的三星创始人李秉喆(Lee Byung-chul)的孙子。

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.

三星电子(Samsung Electronics) 48岁的副董事长以及另外四名高管面对刑事罪名之际，这家经营众多业务(从高科技到金融)的集团正在努力摆脱不断发酵的丑闻，该集团宣布了一系列治理改革措施，包括解散其公司战略办公室，该部门在游说政治人物方面的角色使其受到密切关注。

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.

检方指控李在镕向朴槿惠(Park Geun-hye)总统及其闺蜜崔顺实(Choi Soon-sil)行贿430亿韩元(合3800万美元)，以换取政治恩惠，让他顺利接棒，并巩固对集团关键部门的控制。

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.

李在镕早已承认向崔顺实的基金会作出政治捐款，但否认那些捐赠是为了换取任何回报。三星声称，李在镕是这起丑闻的受害者，因为他是在朴槿惠施压之下提供捐款的。

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

朴槿惠周一表示，企业是出于公共利益而提供捐款，而不是为了换取恩惠而行贿。

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.

自他的父亲和公司董事长父亲李健熙(Lee Kun-hee) 2014年因心脏病发作而失去能力以来，李在镕一直执掌着三星。他在2月被捕，引发各方担忧这家集团的高层出现真空，而三星电子作为集团的最宝贵资产，正在全力以赴重振其移动业务。

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.

该公司计划在3月29日推出旗舰智能手机Galaxy S8，此前去年推向市场的Galaxy Note 7遭遇代价高昂的安全问题;由于电池充电系统存在缺陷，其中一些手机会突然着火。

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.

包括昨日被起诉的三星高管在内，共有10多人因为被牵扯到这起丑闻而面临起诉;预计朴槿惠将因为该丑闻下台。特别检察官对这件事展开的为期三个月的调查已进入尾声。

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.

虽然贿赂在韩国可能被判无期徒刑，但该国以往被判这类罪名成立的大公司掌门人获得了总统赦免。

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.

检方称，李在镕还被指控在海外藏匿资产，隐瞒涉嫌从非法商业活动获得的利润，并在国会听证会上在宣誓状态下撒谎，对自己在丑闻中的作用作出虚假陈述。

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”.

李在镕否认自己有任何不法行为。三星否认其高管有任何不当行为，但执行副总裁李久恩(Lee June)表示“为我们引起的社会争议和忧虑”道歉。