Seoul – A South Korean court on Thursday refused to authorise the arrest of the heir to the Samsung business empire, in a setback to prosecutors probing a corruption scandal engulfing President Park Geun-Hye.

Officials on Monday sought the arrest of Lee Jae-Yong on charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury, sending shock waves through the group, which is a major part of the South Korean economy and includes the world’s largest smartphone maker.

It is already reeling from the debacle over the recall of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 device and reports have suggested it could face sanctions from overseas authorities if Lee is punished.

Lee, who became Samsung’s de facto head after his father suffered a heart attack in 2014, is accused of bribing Choi Soon-Sil, Park’s secret confidante at the centre of the scandal, and receiving policy favours from Park in return.

But the court rejected the request on grounds of insufficient evidence, which could mar investigators’ plan to question Park – impeached by parliament last month – on charges of bribery.

A spokesman for the prosecution team described the decision as “very regrettable” but said they will “carry on with our probe without wavering”.

Opposition politicians and analysts questioned the decision.

Seoul mayor Park Won-Soon, who is expected to stand for president later this year, accused the court of basing its decision on the potential economic ramifications rather than justice.

“A fair ruling is a requirement for economic improvement,” he said on Facebook.

“A country that tolerates corruption cannot do well economically.” Samsung is South Korea’s largest business group and its revenue is equivalent to about a fifth of the country’s GDP.

Kim Nam-Geun, a Seoul lawyer and a political commentator, added: “A court usually approves arrest warrants over bribery cases involving such an enormous amount of money and circumstantial evidence.”

As well as the investigation of Park, the decision could weaken prosecutors’ probes into the heads of other conglomerates implicated in the scandal, said Choi Chang-Ryol, a professor of politics at Yongin University.

“It would be far easier for prosecutors to quiz Lee if they have him under detention, and eventually build a bribery case against Park as well,” he said.

Lee, 48, was seen early Thursday leaving a detention centre where he had awaited the decision for the previous 18 hours, following a hearing by the court.

Investigators said Lee gave or promised some 43 billion won ($36.3 million) worth of bribes to Choi, allegedly in return for the state pension fund’s backing of a merger of two Samsung affiliates – deemed crucial for Lee’s hereditary succession at Samsung.

Lee and his lawyers have claimed Park pressured the group into making donations, but that it did not expect special favours in return for the funds.

In a statement released by the prosecutors, the court said it was “difficult to accept the reasons, need and justification” for his arrest.

“We appreciate the fact that the merits of this case can now be determined without the need for detention,” Samsung said in a statement on Thursday.

Choi is accused of using her presidential ties to force top local firms into donating nearly $70 million to two non-profit foundations controlled by her.

Samsung is the single biggest contributor to the foundations and separately paid Choi millions of euros, allegedly to bankroll her daughter’s equestrian training in Germany.

Prosecutors have been probing whether Samsung’s payments were aimed at securing government approval for the controversial merger of Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T in 2015.

It was opposed by many investors who said it wilfully undervalued Samsung C&T’s shares. But it was backed by the National Pension Service, a major Samsung shareholder.

Park, accused of colluding with Choi to extract money from the firms and letting her friend meddle in a wide range of state affairs, was impeached by parliament last month.

Both Park and Choi, who is on trial for coercion and abuse of power, have denied any wrongdoing as the Constitutional Court is reviewing the validity of the impeachment.

If the court upholds the impeachment, a presidential vote will be held in 60 days, with Park immediately losing executive privilege that protects her from criminal indictment.

SEOUL – In a tumultuous four years in power, South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been criticised for her handling of a ferry disaster and the running of the economy, and also for bizarre episodes involving beauty treatments and bulk buying of Viagra.

And, according the special prosecutor investigating a corruption scandal that led to her impeachment last month, someone has drawn up a blacklist of actors, writers and others who Park thinks have gone too far.

Park has been accused by legal authorities and lawmakers of putting pressure on the entertainment industry in retaliation against satirical and other attacks, echoing back to the dark days of oppression under her father, dictator Park Chung-hee.

The presidential Blue House denies that such a blacklist exists. Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun has said many times that she has heard reports of such a list but that she had nothing to do with it.

“Park is doing exactly what her father did,” Ha Jae-keun, a culture critic who called the list undignified and barbarous, told Reuters.

“This is a repeat of what happened decades ago.”

Park Chung-hee took over the country in a 1961 coup and ruled until he was shot and killed by his spy chief in 1979.

The blacklist, part of which was seen by Reuters, contains the names of thousands of actors, writers, film directors and others.

It includes acclaimed film directors like Cannes award winner Park Chan-wook, Venice Film Festival top prize winner Kim Ki-duk and actors Moon So-ri and Song Gang-ho. None was immediately available for comment.

Park Chung-hee was widely criticised for her seven hours of public silence after the Sewol ferry sank in 2014, killing more than 300 people, many of them children from the same school.

She has been lampooned for her handling of the economy and, on a less serious note, she came in for ridicule after a TV channel said she once used a starlet’s name as a pseudonym at a beauty and detox clinic.

Park’s medical and cosmetic treatments, including shots derived from human placenta, were also revealed in detail in a parliamentary hearing into the corruption scandal that could cost her the presidency.

The impeachment is being reviewed by the Constitutional Court and, if upheld, she will have to quit.

Park’s office also raised eyebrows last year when it said it had bought dozens of Viagra pills while preparing for her trip to Africa last year – not for anyone’s erectile dysfunction, but to treat possible altitude sickness.

Viagra became the most searched keyword on the country’s main online news portals following the revelation, which was initially reported by an opposition Democratic Party member of parliament in November.

The government and state entities used the blacklist as”guidelines” to penalise artists and censor content, the special prosecutor’s office told reporters.

Last week, the office said it had obtained testimony from government officials that Park had rejected a request from the Culture Ministry to send Korean novelist Han Kang a congratulatory letter for winning the Man Booker International Prize last year for her novel “The Vegetarian” – a first for a South Korean.

Han, too, is on the blacklist.

“DON’T GO – NOT EVEN FOR LUNCH”

Han’s father, Han Seung-won, said in a radio interview that his daughter was aware of her name being on the blacklist for another novel called “Human Acts”, about a Korean democracy movement brutally crushed in 1980. “When I heard about the congratulatory letter, I told my daughter not to go to the Blue House if they invite her, not even for lunch,” he said.

Former Blue House chief of staff Kim Ki-choon, who also served under the elder Park, and Culture Minister Cho left the special prosecutor’s office on Wednesday after being questioned for more than 15 hours, each for their alleged involvement in creating the list and for excluding those on it from government projects or subsidies, the office said.

They insisted on their innocence and prosecutors have since requested arrest warrants for both of them.

Neither was available for comment.

Park was impeached after accusations that she colluded with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil to pressure big businesses to donate to two foundations set up to back the president’s policy initiatives.

Park is also accused of allowing Choi to exert inappropriate influence over state affairs.

Both have denied wrongdoing.

In addition to the blacklist, Sohn Kyung-shik, the chairman of food to entertainment conglomerate CJ Group, said Park had asked him in 2013 to demote Lee Mie-kyung, a vice chairwoman at the company.

Sohn was giving evidence at the parliamentary hearing on the corruption scandal in December.

The reason for Park’s request was not officially disclosed, but media have said it was in retaliation against a CJ-run cable channel broadcasting satirical skits about the president on the Korean version of Saturday Night Live.

Lee resigned in 2014 and has been living in the United States since. She was not immediately available for comment.

Jakarta – An enormous fire engulfed a historic market in the Indonesian capital Jakarta Thursday, with hundreds of firefighters deployed to battle a blaze that sent huge clouds of black smoke floating over the city.

The fire began at dawn on the ground floor of Pasar Senen market, a sprawling complex of stalls on several levels that was built during Dutch colonial rule.

Fifty fire engines were deployed to battle the blaze, which was still going strong in the afternoon. Several people suffered from minor burns.

It was not clear what caused the fire in the market, which is in central Jakarta and sells goods ranging from textiles to food.

Despite the fire, some shop owners rushed into the market in a bid to salvage their goods, while others who were barred from entering by security guards and police hurled stones at the complex in frustration.

“My shop is inside. It’s all gone, finished, nothing left,” shopkeeper Edwin, who only gave his first name, told AFP.

Pasar Senen – which translates as “Monday market” – has been hit by several big fires in the past.

Tokyo – Some might describe the idea as barking mad but a shrine in Tokyo is offering blessings to pets to protect the fluffy creatures from a ‘ruff’ year ahead.

Pet owners have been flocking to the Ichigaya Kamegaoka Hachimangu shrine since it introduced New Year ceremonies for dogs and cats in 2000 – and numbers have gone through the woof in recent years.

“Well, they’re part of the family,” 43-year-old Yuki Mitsui told AFP, hugging two miniature dachshunds that were proudly sporting tiny fur-trimmed kimonos.

“It gives me peace of mind that these little fellas can also receive an amulet that will protect them for the year.” Visits are by appointment only. Over 500 visitors yearly bring pets dressed in brightly coloured finery to the shrine, where they make an offering to the gods in return for a blessing.

Local priest Masaki Kaji revealed that he hit upon the idea of offering the Shinto rituals due to high demand from animal lovers.

“Many people told me they wanted to be blessed along with their pets,” he said as a steady stream of excited poodles, terriers and chihuahuas trotted past.

“So we decided to make this the best place for pets to worship.

“This is the time of year when we have most visitors to the shrine and those numbers keep rising every year,” Kaji added.

“It goes to show that pets are becoming more important to families.”