The Seoul High Court has issued a suspended sentence for Samsung Electronics' de-facto leader Lee Jae-yong, who stood trial on charges of bribing former President Park Geun-hye's longtime friend Choi Soon-sil to secure control over his company.

On Monday, the court handed Lee a two-and-a-half year prison term suspended for four years, overruling a lower court's decision to slap him with a five-year prison term.

The appeals court ruled that the free use of Samsung's horses and vehicles by Choi's daughter, as well as a transfer of some three-point-six billion won to Choi's consultancy firm were acts of bribery.

However, the judges decided to drop charges of diverting funds overseas as well as using one-point-six billion won of Samsung's corporate funds to support Choi's Korea Winter Sports Elite Center.

The court did not accept the prosecution's claim that Samsung offered bribes in return for Lee's takeover of the company from his ill father Lee Kun-hee.

It said there was no implicit request to the president to enable the succession. 

Lee walked free 353 days after he was detained.