Jay Y.Lee, the acting head of Samsung Electronics, has been formally accused of paying bribes in a corruption scandal that has engulfed South Korea.

The announcement was made by the country's special prosecutor's office which is leading the cash-for-influence probe that led to the impeachment of the country's president, Park Geun-hye last month.

The scandal concerns Ms Park's alleged collusion with a friend and a former aide, Choi Soon-sill, to pressure big businesses to donate to two foundations set up to back her policy initiatives.

Officials said Mr Lee faces allegations of embezzlement and of lying under oath during a parliamentary hearing, in addition to bribery offences.

Image: A protest in Seoul against Park Geun-hye a day after her impeachment

They said Samsung was suspected of giving $36.4m to Ms Choi while seeking the government's help with the leadership succession within the company to Mr Lee from his father, who has been in care for more than two years since a heart attack.


It was further claimed that Mr Lee embezzled a chunk of that sum but officials declined to give a figure.

A court in Seoul will now review the prosecutors' arrest request - with a decision expected on Wednesday.

Image: Park Geun-hye's impeachment remains subject to review

Mr Lee has consistently denied any wrongdoing while Samsung declined to comment on the latest developments.

The scandal hit while South Korea's biggest company was battling the failure of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.

Despite the embarrassment, it recently predicted that profits for the final quarter of 2016 would come in 50% up on the same period in the previous year.

Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for a special prosecutors' team, said that while they understood that seeking Mr Lee's arrest and prosecution could potentially harm the country's economy, he added: "we believed that it was even more important to carry out justice."