Tycoon ‘thought arrest would draw global attention’

Witness says media boss’ aide discussed with him the impact it would have on foreign intervention

Media tycoon Jimmy Lai Cheeying believed his arrest under the national security law was a good thing as it could attract global attention and boost the sales of his now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid newspaper, a key prosecution witness has told a court.

Paralegal Wayland Chan Tszwah yesterday said Lai’s righthand man, Mark Simon, had discussed with him the impact of the mogul’s arrest in August 2020 on their efforts to instigate foreign intervention in the city’s affairs.

Chan said Simon, who previously worked for US naval intelligence, felt the road ahead was “very tough” as businessmen and politicians in the West had started cutting ties with Lai.

“It was a huge blow to us,” the accomplice witness told West Kowloon Court. “Because without Jimmy Lai, we might no longer be able to get insider information from the US government, and we might lose all our political connections in the US and beyond.”

Chan added Lai’s connections in the United States had made it much easier for the “Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong” (SWHK) advocacy group to push for economic sanctions against the city and the mainland.

But Chan said Simon took a different view on the matter upon discussion with Lai, who felt his arrest also had its benefits.

“Both of them felt it was a good thing, as this would draw more people’s attention and Apple’s sales would increase,” the witness said, referring to Lai and Simon.

Defence counsel Marc Corlett expressed concerns over the veracity of Chan’s claim about the tycoon’s thoughts. Madam Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping, who is among three judges hearing the trial, pointed out what Lai reportedly told Simon was hearsay.

Lai stands accused of masterminding an anti-China campaign by pulling the strings behind SWHK to instigate sanctions and other hostile acts against the city and Beijing.

The 76-year-old tycoon also allegedly used Chan as a middleman to relay his instructions to frontline activists, including core SWHK member Andy Li Yu-hin.

Lai pleaded not guilty to two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces and a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications.

Chan yesterday explained his attempts to broaden his personal network, in keeping with Lai’s advice, after the national security law took effect on June 30, 2020.

He said he had tried to approach Alan Brinker, then a US consulate staff worker in the city, as he prepared to take over Li’s role to lobby foreign officials for sanctions.

Chan revealed SWHK members had repeatedly urged Li to leave the city out of fear their personal information would be leaked to police if the activist was arrested. Li had insisted on remaining in the city despite an offer to work in an NGO in the US, the witness continued.

Lai’s assistant Simon also told Chan about a backup plan in the event of Li’s arrest, which involved Finn Lau Cho-dik, a campaigner based in Britain, delivering speeches at American universities to promote anti-China strategies.

The court heard Chan also joined the US branch of SWHK in June or July of 2020 with the recommendation of Lai and Simon to further the group’s causes.

Chan recounted an occasion where Simon had explained why both he and Lai favoured US Republican politicians over their Democratic rivals.

Simon told Chan the Republican Party adopted a more consistent anti-China policy and was more inclined to impose sanctions, the court heard.

The paralegal was first arrested in October 2020 on suspicion of assisting Li’s failed boat escape to Taiwan. He said after he was released on police bail, Simon encouraged him to continue his lobbying work, nonetheless, by telling him Lai would make “arrangements for various support” for him, including a plan to escape to the US.