Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong has been acquitted of all charges related to a 2015 merger between Samsung affiliates.

An appellate court in Seoul delivered the ruling on Feb. 3.

The court upheld a previous ruling from the Seoul Central District Court, which had cleared Lee and other executives of 19 charges, including stock manipulation and accounting fraud.

The court concluded that prosecutors failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case involved a where three shares of Samsung C&T were exchanged for one share of Cheil Industries.

Prosecutors accused Lee, then vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and the largest shareholder of Cheil, of manipulating stock prices to secure favorable merger conditions and strengthen his control over Samsung Group.

They also alleged fraudulent accounting practices involving over 4 trillion won (US$2.72 billion) at Samsung Biologics.