Pre-trial hearing on former president Lee Myung-bak to start May 3rd

The date is set. The corruption trial of former president Lee Myung-bak will begin in Seoul early next month. A court official said Thursday that the Seoul Central District Court will hold the first pretrial hearing on May third. The former president is not required by law to attend the session.During the pre-trial hearing, Lee's legal team will go head-to-head with prosecutors as they decide on which documents can be used as evidence when the main trial starts. The former leader, who was indicted earlier this month, faces 16 charges, including bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.He denies most of the charges.