The Samsung vice chairman convicted of corruption will today begin an appeal against his five-year prison sentence.

49-year-old Jay Y Lee, heir to the family that owns the giant Samsung conglomerate, was found guilty last month of bribing South Korea’s former president Park Geun-hye for help in increasing his power over the company.

Lee has replaced his attorney for the appeal, which begins with a hearing today that organises witnesses and evidence. The appeal trial is set to begin in mid-October.

The scandal has seen a number of Samsung and South Korean government figures face corruption charges.