On August 2 Jay took the stand. He’d never before spoken publicly at
such length and depth. The prosecutors went after him hard, seeking an
unprecedented sentence of twelve years.
“In retrospect I had a lot of shortcomings and didn’t take care of the
things that needed to be taken care of, and that’s all my fault,” he told the
court. “It was my responsibility. I have no excuses.
“I’ve been anxious, and I’ve struggled under heavy pressure to follow
their [his father’s and grandfather’s] footsteps and not lead Samsung down a
wrong path.”
But he continued to insist that he was far from the mastermind of the
bribes but instead a victim. President Park Geun-hye had pressured him to
make the payments. Jay insisted he didn’t know the roles of key players in
his own company, or for that matter the functions of the Tower and the
shareholder mechanisms of the family succession.
“I do receive a summary of daily news, but my work is mostly
electronics and IT,” he said.
“Mastermind or Naïf?” asked The New York Times. Either way, he
didn’t look competent.
But Jay Lee tripped up while talking about his bedridden father. “Back
when Chairman Lee was alive...,” he began and then abruptly stopped.
Laughter broke out in the courtroom, according to a Yonhap News
Agency reporter.
“Back when Chairman Lee was healthy...,” Jay said, correcting himself.
The conspiracy theorists, convinced that Chairman Lee had died some time
ago, had a field day.
G.S. Choi stood up for his boss until the very end in a hearing that went
until 2:00 A.M. Loyalty, after all, is the true mark of a Samsung executive.
“Jay Y. Lee is not the group’s final decision-making authority,” G.S.
testified. He claimed that he personally signed off on the donations to the
equestrian foundation, not Jay. “If you were to hold Samsung responsible,
please blame me. I am aging and lost judgment....Others just trusted me
and followed my judgment,” he told the court.
—
SAMSUNG UNVEILED THE GALAXY Note 8, its next iteration of its
smartphone, two days before the verdict was rendered.