Hong Kong national security law: media tycoon Jimmy Lai to return to court on Thursday for prosecutors’ bid to keep him behind bars
- Lai was released on HK$10 million bail earlier this week and placed under house arrest, while facing charges of fraud and breaching national security law
- Department of Justice declines to comment on case, citing ongoing legal proceedings
According to Cheung Kim-hung, publisher of Apple Daily, Lai will appear at the Court of First Instance at 10am on December 31. He will have spent over a week out of custody since being granted bail on December 23.
The Department of Justice declined to comment on Lai’s case, citing ongoing legal proceedings.
Prosecutors lodged an urgent appeal with Hong Kong’s top court on Christmas Eve in a bid to have Lai – founder of Next Digital which owns Apple Daily – immediately sent back to jail after he was granted bail on Wednesday and placed under house arrest.
Lai was released on strict conditions, including not being allowed to accept interviews, give comments on his situation or step out of his home except for court matters and reporting to police.