Hong Kong businessman and activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for fraud involving a media company. Lai, 75, was arrested in 2020 and has already served 20 months in prison for illegal gatherings.
Lai is a leading opponent of the Chinese leadership’s influence on Hong Kong’s autonomy. He has used his fortune and his media companies to campaign for more democracy and a relatively independent Hong Kong. His medium, the Apple Daily, was a very popular newspaper before it shut down in 2021. The Apple Daily was part of Lai’s Next Digital. An executive of Nex Digital, Wong Wai-keung, was also convicted of fraud and sentenced to 21 months in prison.
Furthermore, Lai cannot manage any company for 8 years and must pay a fine of 247,000 euros.
Source: BNR
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