Samsung succession in disarray as Lee criminal case advances

Seoul

THE long-orchestrated plan to cement Jay Y Lee's position atop Samsung Group may put him in jail instead, raising questions about who would step in to run South Korea's biggest conglomerate in the aftermath.

Prosecutors are seeking Mr Lee's arrest on allegations including bribery and embezzlement, which if proven could prompt him to relinquish duties at the family business. Potential replacements include executives running key divisions of the dominant electronics business, as well as a sister - hotel executive Lee Boo-jin. While a long shot, her anointment would mark a seismic shift in the way the nation's patriarchal empires are run.