Samsung heir Lee fined $60K for illegal use of propofol

Seoul, Oct 26 (IANS) Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong was sentenced to a 70 million won ($60,055) fine on Tuesday for illegally using propofol, an anesthetic medication, dozens of times over a period of years.

The Seoul Central District Court also ordered an additional forfeiture of 17 million won as it convicted Lee of violations of the Narcotics Control Act.

The fine and the forfeiture are the same as what prosecutors had demanded for Lee, reports Yonhap News Agency.

In June, prosecutors indicted the Samsung Electronics vice chairman on charges of taking propofol for purposes other than medical treatments at a plastic surgery clinic in southern Seoul on a total of 41 occasions during January 2015 and May last year.

Lee previously served time in jail, as he was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison by the Seoul High Court on January 18 in a retrial of a bribery case involving former President Park Geun-hye.

In August, Jae-yong was released on parole, seven months after he was imprisoned over bribery.

"I apologise for causing people great concern," Lee said, briefly speaking to reporters. "I am well aware of those concerns, criticisms and expectations of me."

He was among 810 inmates who were granted parole by the Ministry of Justice in celebration of the August 15 Liberation Day.

A grandson of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul, Lee has been running the conglomerate since his father, Lee Kun-hee, suffered a stroke and became bedridden in 2014. Lee Kun-hee died in October.