The heir to Samsung — South Korea's biggest electronics company — was arrested Friday local time on bribery charges.
Lee Jae-yong is accused of paying as much as $38 million to the close friend of South Korea's embattled president, Park Geun-hye, in return for political favors — like getting a company merger approved by the government.
Park has been impeached and her presidential powers have been suspended while a court decides if she should be removed from office. The issue at hand is whether her friend Choi Soon-sil had a major influence over decisions — both political and personal.
The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into money given to Choi by multiple companies.
Last month, a court ruled there wasn't enough evidence to arrest Lee on bribery charges, but prosecutors say they've collected more incriminating evidence since then.
