Poison and big business: Jimmy Lai's private life thrust into the spotlight in leaked files
Aspects of both the business and the private lives of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying are outlined in files leaked to the media. They include a suspicious food poisoning incident and big businesses pulling ads from his newspaper, allegedly under political pressure.
The Apple Daily boss declined to confirm whether all the files were true records and said he would not report the leak to the police. "There's nothing I can do to stop this kind of cyberattack," Lai told an online talk show. "My newspaper's website is under attack too."
He described himself as "just a staunch supporter of the pan-democrats," adding: "It doesn't matter even if my family letters are disclosed."
Many of the 900 records disclosed bore the name of his assistant, Mark Simon.
One showed that Simon had talked to laboratories about how to test for toxins in Lai's food after he suffered food poisoning, thinking "there [was] a larger story behind" the incident.
But Simon decided not to pursue the test as it could trigger an unwanted police notification.