Samsung headquarters in Seoul raided over corruption allegations

South Korean prosecutors raided Samsung offices in Seoul on Tuesday (8 November) as part of an investigation over allegations that the company offered money to the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, who is a close friend of company President Park Geun-hye.

Raids were conducted on the external affairs offices located at Samsung's headquarters in southern Seoul. Documents related to the company's business with the Korea Equestrian Federation – Choi's daughter was a member of the national team – were confiscated during the raid, Yonhap news agency reported.

Prosecutors are investigating allegations that Samsung provided €2.8m (£2.49m) to a company in Germany that is owned by Choi to fund her daughter's equestrian team.

Reports claimed that the federation granted undue favours on Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, who is a former member of the South Korean national equestrian team.

Overall nine places were raided, which included the Korea Equestrian Federation, the Korea Racing Authority and the residence of a Samsung official. Prosecutors said that the home of Park Sang-jin, chief of external affairs at Samsung and president of the Equestrian Federation was also raided.

A Samsung spokesman at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office told Bloomberg that prosecutors entered its headquarters in Suwon, south of Seoul at 6.40am on Tuesday (9.40pm GMT on Monday).

The raid was conducted just five days after prosecutors interrogated an executive director at the group over suspicion that Choi collaborated with a former presidential secretary to push local companies to donate tens of billions of won to two non-profit organisations.

The allegations suggest the money was illegally channeled to Choi, who is suspected of amassing profits based on her close ties with the president. Choi is also being interrogated.