https://www.scmp.com/rss/522700/feed The latest news and top stories on Robert Pang Yiu-hung. He was admitted as a barrister in 1988 and appointed Senior Counsel in 2012. He specialises in civil criminal and family law, appearing in all court levels including the Court of Final Appeal. His expertise extends to arbitration and he previously served as Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association and as a Deputy High Court Judge. Currently, he represents Winnie Yu Wai-ming in a national security trial, arguing the scheme was not... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Brian Wong Brian Wong Hong Kong judges in Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial have questioned whether the former media boss is entitled to a reduced sentence on health or custodial grounds, citing records showing he is in a stable condition and had requested solitary confinement of his own free will. The three High Court justices on Monday began hearing arguments on the length of the sentences to be handed down to the Apple Daily founder and eight others. The other defendants pleaded guilty before Lai’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339630/hong-kong-judges-doubtful-if-jimmy-lais-health-justifies-sentence-reduction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339630/hong-kong-judges-doubtful-if-jimmy-lais-health-justifies-sentence-reduction?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:39:09 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s lawyers have asked Hong Kong judges hearing his national security trial to discard prosecutors’ evidence that the tabloid founder devised an anti-China lobbying strategy, saying the witness making the allegation was an “admitted serial liar”. Defence lawyers on Wednesday wrapped up their closing arguments at West Kowloon Court for the former media boss’s national security trial, in which Lai is contesting charges of conspiracy to print seditious articles and collude with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3323369/jimmy-lais-lawyers-ask-hong-kong-judges-discard-testimony-serial-liar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3323369/jimmy-lais-lawyers-ask-hong-kong-judges-discard-testimony-serial-liar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 10:00:56 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A judge hearing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial has argued that the media misled Hong Kong residents into opposing a later-withdrawn extradition bill that triggered the 2019 anti-government protests. A brief political debate ensued at West Kowloon Court upon the resumption of the defence’s closing submissions in the trial of the Apple Daily founder on Tuesday, in which lawyers sought to justify the newspaper’s unfavourable portrayal of the proposed legal amendment as promoting... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3323172/media-misled-hong-kong-public-extradition-bill-judge-jimmy-lai-trial-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3323172/media-misled-hong-kong-public-extradition-bill-judge-jimmy-lai-trial-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 07:38:29 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A judge has argued that an interpretation of Hong Kong’s national security law by Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s defence team may not reflect Beijing’s true intentions, after the former media boss’ lawyers argued that the legislation did not penalise calls for sanctions against select Chinese officials. Lai’s lawyers on Monday argued that a strict literal approach was necessary to decipher the Beijing-imposed legislation as they resumed presenting verbal arguments at West Kowloon Court for the close of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3323092/jimmy-lai-trial-judge-questions-defences-understanding-national-security-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3323092/jimmy-lai-trial-judge-questions-defences-understanding-national-security-law?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 10:50:51 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong judge hearing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial has dismissed the defence’s contention that the former media boss was just exercising his right to freedom of expression with his anti-China comments, citing crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests in the West. A protracted debate at West Kowloon Court on the proper reading of Lai’s allegedly offensive statements took a turn on Friday when one of three presiding High Court judges hit out at lawyers’ “la-di-da” defence... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322870/jimmy-lai-trial-hong-kong-judge-dismisses-freedom-expression-defence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322870/jimmy-lai-trial-hong-kong-judge-dismisses-freedom-expression-defence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 12:12:34 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Lawyers for former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying have argued that his “armchair punditry” did not support prosecutors’ contention that he masterminded a conspiracy to instigate Western sanctions, prompting a judge to note that his comments could be interpreted as “disguised requests”. Lai’s lawyers and the three presiding judges hearing his national security trial found themselves entangled in a recurring debate on the interpretation of allegedly incriminating remarks made by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322699/hong-kong-judges-jimmy-lais-lawyers-lock-horns-over-armchair-punditry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322699/hong-kong-judges-jimmy-lais-lawyers-lock-horns-over-armchair-punditry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:47:04 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Two Hong Kong judges hearing Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial have expressed reservations about the defence characterising the former media boss’s alleged endeavours to trigger Western sanctions and foster hatred towards authorities as a legitimate exercise of fundamental rights. The 77-year-old Apple Daily tabloid founder’s legal team on Wednesday started presenting its closing arguments at West Kowloon Court after prosecutors made their final remarks in his case of conspiracies to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322553/hong-kong-court-challenges-jimmy-lais-rights-claims-national-security-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322553/hong-kong-court-challenges-jimmy-lais-rights-claims-national-security-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:35:27 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial has been adjourned until Monday after judges expressed concerns about his heart issue that arose shortly before closing submission proceedings. The Apple Daily founder’s health condition was brought to the attention of West Kowloon Court on Friday, just as the three presiding High Court judges were about to hear closing speeches from prosecutors and defence lawyers in his case of conspiracies to publish seditious articles... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3321941/hong-kong-court-postpones-jimmy-lais-trial-over-health-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3321941/hong-kong-court-postpones-jimmy-lais-trial-over-health-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 04:12:58 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong appellate court is expected to rule in nine months’ time on appeals arising from the city’s largest national security trial, as lawyers wrapped up their verbal submissions on Thursday after 3½ days of hearings. Legal counsel urged three Court of Appeal judges to impose lighter sentences on 11 appellants for what the trial court found to be their “active participation” in a subversive scheme to “undermine, destroy or overthrow” the government. Prosecutors opposed the applications by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318558/hong-kong-47-court-expected-rule-appeals-9-months-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318558/hong-kong-47-court-expected-rule-appeals-9-months-time?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 07:22:13 +0000