HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kong’s highest court on Thursday revoked bail from media mogul Jimmy Lai after prosecutors managed to ask the judges to send him back to prison.
Lai was bailed on December 23, after three weeks in custody on charges of fraud and national security risk. Your appeal hearing is scheduled for February 1.
The court said on Thursday that it was “reasonably debatable” that the previous judge’s decision was wrong and that the bail order was invalid.
Lai is among a series of pro-democracy activists and supporters arrested by Hong Kong police in recent months, while officials have stepped up their crackdown on dissidents in semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
He was charged with fraud on December 3 for allegedly violating the office lease terms of Next Digital, the media company he founded. He was later charged again on December 12 under the broad national security law imposed by Beijing on suspicion of collusion with foreign forces and putting national security at risk.
Lai entered the Final Court of Appeal without commenting to supporters and the media, many of whom surrounded the tycoon as he entered the court. His bail conditions included handing over his travel documents and banning him from meeting with foreign officials, publishing articles in any media, posting on social media and giving interviews.
The Chinese state newspaper People’s Daily posted a strongly worded comment on Sunday criticizing the court for granting bail to Lai, saying it “seriously damaged Hong Kong’s rule of law”.
The People’s Daily said that it would not be difficult for Lai to escape, and called him “notorious and extremely dangerous”. He also warned that China could take the case, according to Article 55 of the national security law, which states that China can “exercise jurisdiction over a case related to a crime that endangers national security”.
The Hong Kong judiciary posted a 19-page sentence on its website on Tuesday, explaining the reasons why Supreme Court judge Alex Lee bailed Lai. Lee said he was satisfied that there was no risk of flight in Lai’s case and noted that Lai was willing to have his movements monitored if it was a viable option.
On Tuesday, Lai resigned as president and chief executive officer of Next Digital, which runs the Apple Daily, according to an order placed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. He did this “to spend more time dealing with his personal affairs” and confirmed that he had no disagreement with the board of directors, the document said.