Seoul — South Korean prosecutors charged Samsung Group chief Jay Y Lee with bribery and embezzlement on Tuesday, as the top conglomerate announced the dismantling of its corporate strategy office, the latest developments in a graft scandal that has rocked the country. Lee was arrested on February 17 over his alleged role in the corruption scandal involving impeached President Park Geun-hye, dealing a fresh blow to the standard-bearer for Asia’s fourth-largest economy. The special prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday, the last day of its investigation, that it had charged Lee, the third-generation leader of the tech giant "chaebol", and four other executives with bribery and embezzlement. The charges against Lee included pledging bribes to a company and organisations tied to Park’s confidant, Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the centre of the scandal, to cement his control of the business empire. "We apologise for the social controversy and distress we have caused," Samsung Group executive...

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