Special prosecutor says Samsung scandal reveals chronic graft

Seoul

SOUTH Korea's special prosecutor accused Jay Y Lee and other Samsung Group executives of conspiring to create fake documents to mask millions of dollars in bribes funnelled to a confidante of the country's president.

Lee, the de facto head of Samsung, is alleged to have committed perjury when he said he didn't know his company had paid money to entities controlled by Choi Soon-sil, and that he wasn't asked by President Park Geun-hye to provide financial support. The accusations were released on Monday by Park Young-soo, the prosecutor spearheading an investigation that's reached the highest levels of business and government.