Jimmy Lai national security trial hears Hong Kong tycoon recruited prominent political figures to drum up support for Apple Daily newspaper

Prosecution tells court tabloid recruited prominent political figures in bid to boost its subscription service, including veteran democrat Martin Lee

Judge hears Lee appealed to readers to support tabloid and Lai ‘until the end’ and said Chinese Communist Party did not want a free press

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Tycoon Jimmy Lai recruited prominent politicians to help boost subscriptions to Apple Daily, a court has heard. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 8:58pm, 19 Feb 2024Updated: 9:46pm, 19 Feb 2024

Hong Kong prosecutors have accused the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper of using well-known political figures to promote its subscription service and highlighted the role of veteran democrat Martin Lee Chu-ming, who appealed to readers to support the tabloid and its founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying “until the end”.

Lee drummed up support for Apple Daily in a passage submitted to West Kowloon Court on Monday by publicising what he saw as attacks by the Chinese Communist Party and former city leader Leung Chun-ying, who had put pressure on companies that advertised with the opposition-leaning newspaper.

“So everyone knows that this authoritarian country, that is the Communist Party, now doesn’t want a free press because [the press] is to them just a national apparatus,” Lee said in a May 2020 video.

The 85-year-old founder of the Democratic Party praised Lai for his dedication to safeguarding the “independent” newspaper, even though Apple Daily had been running at a loss for years.

Democratic Party founder Martin Lee, who appealed to the public in Apple Daily to support the tabloid and its tycoon owner Jimmy Lai. Photo: Edward Wong

“So you have no reason not to support him, that is, in such a difficult time, there is still one foolish guy spending so much money to continue to do this at a loss, for what? It is not for himself, is it?” Lee said.

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