Hong Kong prosecutors slap 3 Apple Daily-affiliated firms with colonial-era sedition charge
- Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited and AD Internet Limited have all been charged with sedition as part of ongoing national security law case
- Three firms appoint proxy to act on their behalf during criminal proceedings, enlist legal counsel from former prosecutor
The firms, all involved in the newspaper’s operation before a police crackdown last June, appointed a proxy to appear at West Kowloon Court for the first time during Thursday’s pre-trial hearing before the case was moved to the High Court.
The proxy, only identified in court by his surname Man, was named by the companies’ incumbent directors to act on their behalf during the criminal proceedings, but was not currently sitting on any of the directors’ boards.
Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai, 6 former employees hit with fresh sedition charge
The new joint charge states that all three companies allegedly conspired with the seven co-accused to “print, publish, sell, offer for sale, distribute, display and/or reproduce seditious publications” between April 2019 and June 2021. The same charge was laid against the seven in an earlier hearing last December.
The other defendants are editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong, publisher Cheung Kim-hung, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, and editorial writers Fung Wai-kong and Yeung Ching-kee.
Kwok said he had no objection to the new charge against the companies, but asked the prosecution to provide more details regarding the allegations.
The court will handle matters related to the case’s transfer in the next hearing on February 24. No sentencing cap applies at the High Court.
Following a government petition, the High Court has ordered the winding up of Apple Daily’s parent company, Next Digital. Kenny Tam King-ching and Man King-shing of Kenny Tam & Co were appointed provisional liquidators.
Sedition carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison for a first offence under the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance.
Under the national security law, conspiracy to collude with foreign forces carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, with serious cases featuring a minimum jail term of 10 years.
A corporate entity can also be fined and ordered to shut down if convicted under the Beijing-imposed security law.