The special probe team investigating the Choi Soon-sil scandal has once again requested an arrest warrant for the de facto chief of Samsung Electronics.

Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong returned home Tuesday after undergoing more than 15 hours of independent counsel questioning related to suspicion of bribery and embezzlement.

Lee is accused of offering 43 billion won, or 36 million U.S. dollars, to President Park Geun-hye and her long-time friend Choi to win government backing for the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries in 2015. 

Investigators want to know if the presidential office pressured the Fair Trade Commission to have Samsung SDI sell off five million shares of Samsung C&T.  That’s half of the original ten million shares in required stock disposal. They also suspect the presidential office provided special favors in the process of Samsung Biologics becoming a listed company.

Lee did not answer reporters' questions Tuesday, but is said to have denied all the allegations.

This second warrant for Lee's arrest comes 26 days after a Seoul court rejected a similar request. The Seoul Central District Court will hold a hearing on Thursday to review the arrest request.