The Note7 debacle and this political crisis are both products of Korea's corrupt chaebol structure [1] (a polite way of saying "oligarchies").

Samsung sourced its batteries, virtually exclusively, from Samsung SDI [2]. Samsung SDI is very likely controlled by Lee's family members. That implies these bids weren't competitive. The upshot is less emphasis on function than family.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol

[2] http://www.reuters.com/article/us-samsung-sdi-batteries-idUS...