Hong Kong’s High Court will rule on Monday whether pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai is guilty of foreign collusion and sedition charges
HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court will deliver its verdict on Monday in the high-profile national security trial of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai.
The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper faces two counts of conspiracy to commit foreign collusion and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications.
Prosecutors allege Lai was the mastermind behind conspiracies to urge foreign nations to impose sanctions or take hostile actions against Hong Kong or China.
They cited 161 published items, including opinion pieces under Lai’s byline, which they said excited disaffection against the government.
The foreign collusion charges under Hong Kong’s national security law carry a potential life sentence.
The colonial-era sedition charge carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment for a first offence.
Lai, a British citizen, was first arrested under the security law in August 2020 and has been in custody since December 2020.
His trial began in December 2023 after a delay caused by authorities barring his British lawyer, and it spanned approximately 150 hearing days.
During the trial, prosecutors alleged Lai conspired with Apple Daily’s senior management to use the outlet as a platform to request foreign sanctions.
They named numerous foreign political figures, including former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as Lai’s contacts.
Lai testified that he “never” tried to influence foreign policy on Hong Kong and China through his overseas contacts.
He told the court his predictions that the national security law would curb liberties in Hong Kong had “come to pass”.
High Court judges Esther Toh, Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios will deliver the verdicts on Monday morning.
If found guilty, sentencing would typically be determined at a later date, and Lai would have the right to appeal.
The case has drawn significant international attention and is set to be a point of contention between Beijing and Western nations. – AFP
