Hong Kong’s High Court denied bail to media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying on Thursday, just over a week after the city’s top court ruled that a previous decision to let him await trial under house arrest stemmed from a judge’s erroneous interpretation of the national security law . The 73-year-old founder of the Next Digital media group and the tabloid-style Apple Daily newspaper has spent 68 days behind bars, and will remain in custody while he stands trial over his alleged involvement in an unauthorised assembly during 2019’s social unrest. The unauthorised assembly hearing is one of many for Lai, who is facing eight separate charges, including under the Beijing-imposed national security law , in six cases. Lai appeared before Madam Justice Anthea Pang Po-kam for a second bail review on Thursday, after the Court of Final Appeal last week held that a different High Court judge had misinterpreted the security law’s stringent threshold for granting temporary release. Pang, who was handpicked by city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to oversee security law proceedings, said she would hand down a written ruling in due course to explain her decision to refuse Lai’s application. Lai, wearing a khaki jacket, made a heart-shaped hand gesture to his family and relatives in the public gallery and waved goodbye to them before leaving the courtroom. Jimmy Lai to stay behind bars as Hong Kong top court rejects judge’s bail reasoning The media mogul was the first security law defendant to win bail, with High Court Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang releasing him on December 23 on a HK$10 million bond and placing him under house arrest – as well as imposing an array of other tailor-made conditions. That decision sparked outrage from Chinese state media, which warned that mainland authorities could take over the case. The tycoon’s release was short-lived, however, as the Court of Final Appeal allowed prosecutors to challenge Lee’s reading of the security law’s bail requirement, and ordered Lai to be locked up again on New Year’s Eve. Last week, the top court ruled in favour of the prosecution and extended Lai’s stay in the maximum-security Stanley Prison. However, it also allowed him a second shot at freedom at the lower court, as the top judges had no power to process his bail application. Lai was first denied bail by a magistrate on December 3 over one count of fraud, before he was further charged with colluding with foreign forces under the security law in a separate case one week later. His bail application in that case was similarly dismissed. Upon review, however, the High Court decided to release Lai on bail, but prosecutors balked. While they did not oppose Lai’s temporary release in relation to the fraud allegation, they insisted he should remain behind bars over the security law offence. Judge rejects bid by Jimmy Lai and others in protest case to allow expert’s view Lai is currently on trial alongside six former opposition lawmakers for allegedly organising and taking part in an illegal march against the now-withdrawn extradition bill on August 18, 2019. He was arrested again in prison on Wednesday and accused of abetting 12 fugitives who attempted to flee to Taiwan last summer, as well as engaging in a separate plot to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. No extra charges have been laid yet following the latest arrest.