London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Ordered Back To Jail

Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Ordered Back To Jail

The 73-year-old served 20 days in custody before being granted bail last Wednesday on stringent conditions including a US$1.3 million bond and a surrender of all travel documents.
Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai was ordered back to jail Thursday as the city's highest court granted prosecutors an appeal against his bail.

Lai, a vocal Beijing critic, is one of the highest-profile figures charged under a sweeping security law that China imposed on the financial hub in late June in a bid to stamp out dissent.

The 73-year-old served 20 days in custody before being granted bail last Wednesday on stringent conditions including a HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) bond and a surrender of all travel documents.

He was placed under house arrest and banned from speaking publicly, including on Twitter.

But the Court of Final Appeal on Thursday granted the prosecution leave to appeal the bail decision, after they said a lower court judge may "have erred in his construction or application" of Article 42 of the new legislation.

That article states that bail should not be granted unless the judge sees sufficient grounds to believe the defendant will not commit the alleged offence again.

"We have held that it is reasonably arguable that the Judge's decision was erroneous and that his order admitting the respondent to bail was invalid," a determination handed down by the appeal committee of the Court of Final Appeal read.

It also granted the prosecution's application for Lai to be held in custody pending the appeal, to be heard on February 1.

Lai is accused of colluding with foreign countries by calling on overseas governments to sanction Hong Kong and China in response to an ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy activism in the city.

More than 1,000 of his tweets and a number of media interviews he gave have been examined by the prosecution.

Lai was the first defendant charged under the security law to be granted bail, but prosecutors rushed to the top court to apply for an appeal.

Prosecutor Anthony Chau argued that bail should not be considered in national security cases and likened the seriousness of national security offences to murder and treason.

"Normally in this kind of grave offence, the court cannot grant bail," Chau said in court.

China's top party mouthpiece People's Daily had criticised the bail decision and threatened that Lai could be extradited to mainland China for trial.

Lai also faces separate charges of fraud and joining unlawful assemblies during the massive, often violent, pro-democracy protests of 2019.

On Tuesday, the mogul resigned as chairman and executive director of Next Digital, which owns the Apple Daily newspaper he founded three decades ago.

Lai tendered his resignation "in order to spend more time dealing with his personal affairs", Bloomberg News reported citing a statement from the media group.

China's authoritarian leaders guaranteed Hong Kong would maintain key freedoms and autonomy after its 1997 handover by Britain, under a model dubbed "One Country, Two Systems".

But a historic retreat from that promise is under way, in response to recent years' unrest.

Since the national security law's imposition, Beijing increasingly calls the shots. Voicing certain opinions can now carry up to a lifetime prison sentence.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×