Indian supreme court orders Samsung chief to appear in criminal case

India's Supreme Court has ordered South Korean electronics giant Samsung's chairman Lee Kun-hee to appear before a trial court outside the national capital in a 1.4 million U.S. dollars cheating case. A two-judge bench has, however, put on hold for six weeks an arrest warrant issued against 72-year-old Lee by the trial court in Ghaziabad, some 25 km from the Indian capital, for failing to appear before it in the criminal case. "The warrant of arrest issued against the petitioner (Lee) shall not be executed for a period of six weeks. In the meanwhile, the petitioner shall appear before the trial court in seisin ( hearing) of the case and seek bail and/or exemption from appearance in accordance with law," the apex court said. The Supreme Court issued the order after Lee on Monday challenged an order by the Allahabad High Court dismissing his plea for setting aside the arrest warrant against him. The trial court had ordered the Samsung chief's arrest after he failed to appear before it in the criminal case filed by an Indian company, JCE Consultancy, against him for allegedly cheating it of 1.4 million U.S. dollars.