South Korean prosecutors yesterday raided offices of the Samsung Group as the electronics giant is dragged further into a snowballing influence-peddling scandal that has engulfed President Park Geun Hye. The raid comes as Samsung faces allegations it bribed Park's confidant Choi Soon Sil to win state approval for a controversial merger it sought last year. Prosecutors also raided several NPS offices yesterday, a NPS spokeswoman said. Samsung - South Korea's biggest business group - donated 20 billion won ($24m) to Choi's foundations, making it the largest single contributor. It is separately accused of offering Choi 2.8m ($4.2m) to bankroll her daughter's equestrian training in Germany, which led prosecutors to raid Samsung Electronics' offices in Seoul this month.

Source: New Zealand Herald November 23, 2016 16:14 UTC