Nearly six years in prison for Hong Kong businessman and activist Lai Related articles
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.
epa08746625 Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-Ying arrives at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court in Hong Kong, China, 15 October 2020. Lai is among 26 Hong Kong’s top opposition figures summoned to court for illegal assembly allegations related to attending a banned public gathering, the annual Tiananmen Massacre Vigil, June 4, 2020. EPA/JEROME FAVRE (ANP/EPA)
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.
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