Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has postponed a public apology he was expected to make over suspicions of improprieties regarding his leadership succession.

The tech giant’s compliance committee said on Thursday that the deadline it gave for Lee and seven Samsung affiliates to respond to its advice on the apology had been pushed back to May 11.

The move came after Samsung Group asked for at least a month delay, citing an emergency business management system put in place to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Back in March, the compliance committee said many “disgraceful” incidents involving Samsung Group were related with an alleged succession scheme for Lee and advised him to deliver an apology over those incidents within a month.

In announcing the postponement, the committee said it hoped the group would come up with more faithful follow-up measures. 

Some of the suspicions surrounding the Samsung Group heir-apparent are connected to his bribery indictment, involving a long-time confidante of former President Park Geun-hye, and the controversial 2015 merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries.