Prosecutors on Tuesday filed for an arrest warrant for the former head of the scandal-ridden local unit of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser.
John Lee, currently CEO of Google Korea, has been under investigation over Oxy's toxic humidifier sterilizer, which has caused dozens of deaths and illnesses in South Korea since 2011.
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John Lee, head of Google Korea (Yonhap) |
Lee led the South Korean unit of the consumer goods company from June 2005 to May 2010, while sales of its sterilizer product were at their peak.
The court will review the request by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Thursday. Lee, a Korean-American, is the first foreign executive in the case for whom prosecutors are seeking an arrest warrant.
Lee has been summoned twice as a suspect in the snowballing case. Lee has denied allegations that he was aware of the product's toxicity, according to prosecutors.
The humidifier disinfectant case, one of the worst scandals involving a consumer product using chemicals, came to light after four pregnant women died of lung problems from unknown causes in 2011. A government-led investigation confirmed a connection between the people who died of lung problems and the chemicals used to clean household humidifiers.
Prosecutors suspects that Lee did not take due measures even after receiving complaints from customers over the side effects of the product. He is also accused of false advertising, saying the product is safe for children, even though its safety had not been confirmed.
Earlier, Shin Hyun-woo, Lee's predecessor at Oxy's helm, was indicted in connection with the scandal, along with two other former and current company officials. (Yonhap)
