SEOUL, Feb 5, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - A South Korean court on Monday acquitted Samsung Electronics heir Lee Jae-yong of a raft of crimes linked to a controversial 2015 merger, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Yonhap reported that the court said that they did "not recognise intention to harm shareholders," through the merger, which critics had claimed was bad value and done mostly to ensure a smooth third-generational power transfer to Lee, a scion of Samsung's founding family.