Jay Y. Lee, heir to South Korea’s top conglomerate and one of the world’s biggest technology makers Samsung Electronics, walked out as a free man on Monday upon serving nearly a year in prison after a South Korean appeals court acquitted him of most of the key charges in the most scandalous bribery scandal that removed former president Park Geun-hye out of office.

The Seoul High Court on Monday reduced Lee’s five-year term sentenced in the lower court on Aug. 25 to 2 and a half years with four-year probation, immediately making him a free man as he had been detained since Feb. 17 last year.

The first trial slapped five years on Lee, finding him guilty of five counts, including bribery, embezzlement, and hiding assets. He was cleared most of the charges except for having suspicious motive for sponsoring equestrian training for the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, a secret friend of former President Park.

The court could not connect Lee’s bribing attempt for his donations to Choi’s foundations in return for the president’s influence over government authorities to facilitate the merger of two Samsung Group entities to cement his succession of the conglomerate.

It said out of customs, the conglomerate could not have turned down the president’s demand for funding.

The same court also freed other Samsung Group executives on the same ground, suspending sentences for Choi Gee-sung, former vice chairman and head of Samsung Group’s future strategy office, and Chang Choong-ki, former president and deputy head, and Park Sang-jin, former president.

Shares of Samsung Electronics finished Monday 0.5 percent higher at 2,396,000 won.

The appeals court’s sentence is a major setback for the special counsel team that has sought 12 years for Lee to end the tradition of “vicious” collusive ties between political and business power. The weakening in the bribery case also could affect the trials of Park as the bribery is also the most serious count in her sentence.

The prosecution did not immediately issue a statement. The case is likely to go to the Supreme Court.

By Hwang Hyung-gyu and Lee Eun-joo

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