SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae Yong, the de facto leader of Samsung Group convicted of bribery, will return to prison later in the day, legal and industry sources said Thursday, nearly a month after appendicitis surgery.

Lee was transferred to Samsung Medical Centre in southern Seoul on March 19 to receive emergency surgery after suffering a ruptured appendix.

The 52-year-old tycoon was supposed to return to Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, Gyeonggi province, last Friday but was advised to stay a few more days at the hospital to recover, Yonhap News Agency quoted the sources as saying.

He is said to have lost about 7 kilogrammes following the surgery and has refused doctors' advice to stay longer for medical care.

Lee, the group's heir, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Jan 18 in a retrial of a bribery case involving the impeached former President Park Geun Hye. He will be released in July next year.

-- BERNAMA