Jay Y. Lee arrives at the Seoul High Court on Jan. 18, 2021. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

SEOUL - A South Korean court sentenced Samsung Electronics vice chairman Jay Y. Lee to two and a half years in prison, the court said on Monday, which will have major ramifications for his leadership of the tech giant as well as Korea’s views toward big business.

With this, Lee will be sidelined for the time being from major decision making at Samsung Electronics as it strives to overtake competitors. He will also be unable to oversee the process of inheritance from his father, who died in October, crucial to keeping control of Samsung.

With this, Lee will be sidelined for the time being from major decision making at Samsung Electronics as it strives to overtake competitors

Lee returned to the same prison where he spent a year in 2017-2018 after the ruling.

The imprisonment of the leader of a global tech giant comes with the added challenge of ensuring safety after an outbreak of more than 1,000 coronavirus infections at another detention centre.

Lee was transported to Seoul Detention Center on the outskirts of the capital on Monday. Once he arrives, he will be checked for a coronavirus infection with a rapid antigen test, a Seoul Detention Centre official told Reuters - a process that doesn’t require a lab and can be done in 30 minutes.

If the initial test is negative, he will be sent to a solitary room for isolation for two weeks. If it is positive, he will be moved to a treatment centre.

Lee, 52, was convicted of bribing an associate of former President Park Geun-hye and jailed for five years in 2017. He denied wrongdoing, the sentence was reduced and suspended on appeal, and he was released after serving a year in 2018.

READ MORE: Samsung heir faces nine years in jail as bribery trial ends

The Supreme Court then sent the case back to the Seoul High Court, which issued Monday’s ruling.

With Lee returning to prison, the year he already served in detention is expected to count toward the sentence - leaving 18 months of his sentence to be served

The Seoul High Court found Lee guilty of bribery, embezzlement and concealment of criminal proceeds worth about 8.6 billion won (US$7.8 million), and said the independent compliance committee Samsung set up early last year has yet to become fully effective.

“(Lee) has shown willingness for management with newly stronger compliance, as he as vowed to create a transparent company,” said Presiding Judge Jeong Jun-yeong.

“Despite some shortcomings... I hope that over time, it will be evaluated as a milestone in the history of Korean companies as a start of compliance ethics for a greater leap forward,” he said.

Lee, dressed in a dark coat and silver tie and standing to hear the sentencing, sat down after it was read.

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“The nature of this case is the former president’s abuse of power violating corporate freedom and property rights. Given that nature, the court’s decision is regrettable,” Lee’s lawyer, Lee In-jae, told reporters.

With Lee returning to prison, the year he already served in detention is expected to count toward the sentence - leaving 18 months of his sentence to be served.

Monday’s sentencing can be appealed to the Supreme Court within seven days, the judge said, but legal experts said that because the Supreme Court has already ruled on it once, chances are lower that its legal interpretation will change.

Shares in Samsung Electronics dropped as much as 4 percent after the ruling, while shares in affiliates such as Samsung C&T, Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung SDI also fell sharply.