Most Popular
-
6
Chaos unfolds as rare November snowstorm grips Korea for 2nd day
-
7
‘VCHA, Katseye and Dear Alice are not K-pop groups,’ industry experts say
-
8
BOK makes surprise 2nd rate cut to boost growth
-
9
Ador claims exclusive contracts with NewJeans still valid
-
10
Japan will pay for failing to honor promises, minister says
A Seoul court approved Tuesday a request by Samsung BioLogics Co. to put on hold the execution of penalties by the financial watchdog for the company's suspected accounting irregularities.
The Seoul Administrative Court accepted Samsung's argument that enforcing the penalties before a formal court ruling can cause unrecoverable damage to the firm.
The penalties will be suspended until the court reaches a verdict in the litigation between the tech giant and the state.
Samsung BioLogics lodged an administrative suit against the decision made by the Financial Services Commission in November last year that the firm intentionally violated accounting rules to boost its value ahead of the 2016 initial public offering.
The then loss-making Samsung BioLogics reported in 2015 sudden profits after changing the method used to calculate the value of Samsung Bioepis, a joint venture with US-based Biogen Inc.
The alleged irregularities boosted the value of a Samsung key unit in which Samsung's heir apparent, Lee Jae-yong, had a controlling stake, and its merger with another affiliate effectively tightened his control over the conglomerate.
The FSC has alleged that the suspected fraudulent accounting possibly amounts to 4.5 trillion won ($3.98 billion).
The company has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the change in accounting methods was in line with international accounting standards.
Prosecutors began a probe into the allegations and raided Samsung BioLogics' main offices in December.
An official at Samsung BioLogics said the administrative court's decision is "fortunate" and the company will spare no efforts to prove the legitimacy of its accounting.
In a brief statement, the FSC said it will consider whether to appeal against the administrative court's decision after reviewing the ruling. (Yonhap)
