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Jimmy Lai trial: key prosecution witness admits to lying to Hong Kong police 4 years ago after court grilling
- Jimmy Lai’s lawyers hone in on statement to police made by paralegal Wayland Chan, who is giving evidence as accomplice witness
- Chan admits he lied when he told police that Lai’s right-hand man instructed him to cease lobbying efforts after implementation of national security law
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A key prosecution witness in media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial has admitted to lying and providing false information to Hong Kong police four years ago, after lawyers grilled him in court over discrepancies in his evidence.
Lai’s legal team on Thursday focused their questions on a contentious statement made to police by paralegal Wayland Chan Tsz-wah, who was giving evidence as an accomplice witness after pleading guilty to breaching the Beijing-imposed national security law.
Chan in previous court sessions detailed his involvement in an alleged anti-China conspiracy, acting as a middleman linking Lai to the “Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong” (SWHK) advocacy group, which prosecutors said tried to bring about sanctions and a blockade to harm Hong Kong and Beijing.
Chan paused multiple times and appeared to provide conflicting answers when asked about the veracity of his earlier claims during his first police interview in October 2020.
West Kowloon Court heard Chan originally claimed in the interview that he was told by Lai’s right-hand man, Mark Simon, to cease lobbying for international sanctions after the Beijing-decreed law took effect in June that year.
He had also claimed that Simon, who previously worked for US naval intelligence, had told him to “get your life back on track” as there would be no more large-scale protests in Hong Kong.
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