Media tycoon jailed after bail revoked
HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s highest court on Thursday revoked media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s bail after prosecutors succeeded in asking the judges to send him back to detention.
Lai had been granted bail on December 23 after three weeks in custody on charges of fraud and endangering national security. His appeal hearing is slated for February 1.
The court said on Thursday that it was “reasonably arguable” that the previous judge’s decision was erroneous and that the order of granting bail was invalid.
Lai is among a string of prodemocracy activists and supporters arrested by Hong Kong police in recent months as authorities step up their crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
He was charged with fraud on December 3 for allegedly violating the lease terms for office space for the Next Digital, the media company he founded. He was later charged again on December 12 under the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces and endangering national security.
Lai entered the Court of Final Appeal without making any comments to supporters and media, many of whom swarmed the tycoon as he made his way into the courtroom.
His bail conditions included surrendering his travel documents and a ban on meeting with foreign officials, publishing articles on any media, posting on social media and giving interviews.
Chinese state-owned newspaper People’s Daily posted a strongly worded commentary on Sunday criticising the court for granting bail to Lai, stating that it “severely hurt Hong Kong’s rule of law”.
The People’s Daily said that it would not be difficult for Lai to abscond, and called him “notorious and extremely dangerous”. It also warned that China could take over the case, according to Article 55 of the national security law which states that China can “exercise jurisdiction over a case concerning offence endangering national security”.