Arrest warrant sought in South Korea for Samsung heir

South Korean authorities are seeking an arrest warrant for Jay Y Lee, the de-facto head of the Samsung group, in relation to an ongoing corruption scandal in the country.

In December, the South Korean tech giant admitted to donating around £16m to organisations linked to the key person-of-interest in the case, Choi Soon-sil.

Lee is the heir apparent to the Samsung group, and a co-vice chair of Samsung Electronics, the world's largest maker of smartphone and tablet devices.

"The special prosecutor's office, in making this decision to seek an arrest warrant, determined that while the country’s economic conditions are important, upholding justice takes precedence," a spokesman for prosecutors said on Monday.

A district court in central Seoul will open a hearing into the case on Wednesday, and will decide whether or not the prosecutors' request will be granted.

Lee admitted that Samsung had given money to help the equestrian career of Choi's daughter, including the purchase of a horse valued at around $850,000.

Samsung has been accused by authorities in the country of giving large donations to non-profit foundations operated by Choi. She has been charged with coercion, bribery and attempted fraud.

Choi is a long-time associate of the country's former president Park Geun-hye, who was impeached last December after being accused of making decisions based on the interest of her friend.