Jailed Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong has been questioned for a third time since his arrest over bribery allegations related to a corruption scandal that has seen the South Korean parliament vote to impeach President Park Geun-hye.
The investigation team has a deadline of Tuesday next week to complete its job, according to Yonhap. It sought an extension of a month from acting president and prime minister Hwang Kyo-ahn but there is no indication of whether this will be granted.
Lee was arrested last Friday and is reported to have told prosecutors that he felt coerced by Park to make payments. He denied any wrongdoing.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Samsung heir appeared to have fallen short of his goal to change the culture of the company after he took the reins from his father in 2014.
{loadposition sam08}According to Yonhap, the Samsung Group is alleged to have signed a 22 billion won (US$18.3 million) contract with a Germany-based company owned by Choi Soon-il, a confidante of Park, and her daughter, under a consulting arrangement to pay for the daughter's equestrian training.
The investigators are examining whether this contract was signed as a quid pro quo for the state-run pension fund's backing of a major 2015 merger deal between Samsung subsidiaries.
Allegations have been made that the presidential office put pressure on the state fund to back the merger in return for the alleged favours that Samsung granted Choi.
Park, meanwhile, is waiting for the Constitutional Court to decide whether to uphold the impeachment vote which took place on 8 December 2016.
The scandal and its fallout comes after a year in which Samsung had to stop production of its flagship Galaxy Note7 after numerous devices combusted. Samsung also faced issues with washing machines and had to order a recall.
Also questioned on Wednesday was another Samsung executive Lee Soo-hyung.