Lee was arrested as part of the corruption scandal that brought down South Korean president Park Geun-Hye, herself awaiting trial. Lee himself was found to have used his wealth to influence Park's judgment on matters relevant to his business interests, including a merger of two Samsung units. Initially, prosecutors had pushed for a 12-year sentence for Lee as a demonstration that no business was above the law. Lee's early release may not ease doubts that is genuinely the case.