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The South Korean special prosecutor's workplace will question Samsung Group [SAGR.UL] leader Jay Con. Lee as a suspect in an extending influence-peddling scandal that may force Leader Park Geun-hye from office.

Prosecutors have been looking into whether Samsung obligations of about 30 billion won ($25 million) for a business and fundamentals backed by Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, were connected to a 2015 decision by the national pension fund to back a controversial combination of two group affiliates.

Park could become South Korea's initial democratically elected leader to keep office early after parliament identified in December to impeach her over the corruption scandal, which has triggered huge weekly rallies calling for her in order to step down. The impeachment must be upheld or overturned by the Constitutional Court.

A spokesman for prosecutors, Lee Kyu-chul, told a briefing the Samsung leader had been summoned for questioning at 9: thirty a. m. on Thursday (7 p. m. ET on Wednesday) over suspicions including bribery.

He declined to comment on whether Jay Y. Lee or other Samsung executives will be indicted but would not rule out the possibility of the prosecution searching for an arrest warrant against Shelter. A Samsung Group spokeswoman declined to comment.

Proving quid-pro-quo negotiations between the Choi-linked organizations and Samsung are critical to prosecution initiatives to bolster its case towards President Park and show that she, or a surrogate such as Choi, gathered bribes in exchange for favors, analysts said.

For Samsung and its founding Lee family, an indictment or even conviction of Jay Y. Shelter would deal a blow to efforts to secure a stable transfer of control to heirs from suffering patriarch Lee Kun-hee.

The conglomerate has undergone major restructuring considering that 2014 to streamline its possession structure and consolidate power below Jay Y. Lee and his 2 sisters.

Park Ju-gun, head of corporate analysis firm CEO Rating, said while professional managers in affiliates such as Samsung Electronics would be able to keep the companies operating smoothly within the absence of Jay Y. Lee, key initiatives such as acquisitions and opportunities into new businesses would inevitably be slowed should the 48-year-old be imprisoned.

"I think Samsung Group is facing a bigger crisis compared to even the death of Chairman Shelter Kun-hee, " he said, talking about billions of dollars in inheritance fees the Lee family heirs is going to be forced to pay when their dad dies.



SEEKING A WEB LINK

Samsung has acknowledged making contributions to two foundations in addition to a consulting firm controlled by Choi but has repeatedly denied claims of lobbying to push via a controversial 2015 merger of its Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries Incorporation units.

The prosecution this week summoned two senior Samsung Group officials bellezza for questioning, though they were detailed as witnesses.

National Pension Program chief Moon Hyung-pyo was imprisoned in December after acknowledging he forced the fund to approve the particular merger while he was wellness minister.

Park, 64, has described support of the merger as a plan decision made by the world's third-largest pension fund in the national attention.

Lee denied bribery accusations throughout a December parliamentary hearing, rejecting statements from lawmakers that Samsung lobbied to get the fund to back the merger.

The special prosecutors' office said on Wednesday it was researching whether Lee gave false accounts during the parliamentary hearing.

"The unique prosecutor needs Samsung to establish a potential bribery charge against President Recreation area Geun-hye, " said Shin Yul, a political science professor on Myongji University.

"Samsung is the one that has made the biggest contributions among conglomerates plus it had an exclusive relationship with Choi Soon-sil, buying a horse, " Tibia said, referring to the firm's sponsorship of Choi's daughter's equestrian profession.

The daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, was arrested in Denmark this 30 days after being sought by South Korean authorities.



DE FACTO LEADER

Lee, the vice chairman of flagship affiliate Samsung Electronics Company Ltd (005930. KS), has been top South Korea's top conglomerate considering that his father was incapacitated with a May 2014 heart attack.

Shares within Samsung units did not move sharply following the news that Jay Con. Lee was named a suspect, as some investors had anticipated the possibility that he could be formally indicted. Gives of Samsung Electronics ended up second . 8 percent, though off the high for the day, after trading in a record 1 . 928 million earned.

The shares could see a modification because of heightened uncertainties, but the share will see support from strong profits prospects, said HDC Asset Administration fund manager Park Jung-hoon.

Shares of firms such as Samsung C&T Corp (028260. KS) that are more closely linked with potential succession-related restructuring may weaken further, Park mentioned, as formal prosecution of Shelter could delay the process.

"I think some investors are still uncertain on whether the special prosecutors will go so far as arresting and detaining Jay Y. Lee, given the uncertainties this kind of action might trigger on Samsung companies, " he said.

In 2008, Lee Kun-hee stepped down as Samsung Group chairman after group executives were indicted on suspicion of brokering a partner deal for his children to possess a greater ownership stake in Samsung's de facto holding company.

He was handed a suspended 3-year sentence intended for tax evasion, but was eventually pardoned.





(Reporting by Sony ericsson Young Lee and Ju-min Recreation area; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Tony Munroe)