Buoyed by Samsung Electronics’ outstanding performance last year and a more generous, shareholder-friendly program, the tech giant’s de facto leader Lee Jae-yong is expected to enjoy a large cash return this year in contrast to the swirling corruption scandal that he is facing.

The vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, who is the only son of the chairman, will get 46.8 billion won ($40 million) in dividend income this year, beating out other bigwigs including Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo.

According to electronic information system by the Financial Supervisory Service, the 48-year-old is likely to get 23.1 billion won from Samsung Electronics and 18 billion won from Samsung C&T, 5.3 billion won from Samsung SDS and 300 million won from Samsung Fire and Marine. Lee’s dividend income this year is likely to increase 25 percent from 37.3 billion won last year.

The steep increase in cash returns comes from Samsung Electronics’ plan to raise its annual dividend payouts to around 3.85 trillion won to enhance shareholder value.

The world’s largest manufacturer of smartphones and semiconductors plans to offer a cash return of 27,500 won per common share and 27,550 won per share of preferred stock.

“Lee Jae-yong bought more Samsung Electronics shares last year and the shareholder-friendly policy seems to have contributed largely in the increase in cash return this year,” said Park Ju-gun, president of CEOScore, a local corporate tracker.

The entire owner family, including the heir, are expected to take more than 280 billion won in this year’s dividends.

Lee’s bed-ridden father, Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, is likely to receive 190 billion won in cash returns, 12.8 billion won more than last year. Of the total, the senior Lee gets 137.4 billion won from Samsung Electronics. He holds 4.98 million common stocks and 12,398 preferred ones in the electronics giant, worth 15 trillion won, according to local reports. Lee’s wife Hong Ra-hee, who owns Leeum Museum, will get 29.8 billion won in dividends from Samsung Electronics while their daughters, Lee Boo-jin and Lee Seo-hyun will receive 8.1 billion won each. The sisters don’t have shares in Samsung Electronics.

Meanwhile, Chung Mong-koo, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, the nation’s largest carmaker, will earn 46 billion won in dividends from Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Steel this year, not much different from that of last year. His son Chung Eui-sun, vice chairman of the group, will receive a combined dividend of 23.9 billion won.

In a separate report by Daishin Economic Institute, the Lee family has received more than 1.8 trillion won in dividends from Samsung Electronics, which they control through a complicated web-like governance structure, for the last three years.

The portion of cash returns to the Lee family and the affiliates related to them have also increased from 17.37 percent in 2014 to 18.57 percent in 2016.

“Samsung Electronics’ shareholder-friendly program not only produces (fresh) capital income and dividend income to shareholders, but also increases the controlling power of the owners and people related to them along with their share ratios growing,” said Han Jeong-soo, a senior researcher at the institute.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)