The Next Media Group founder and Apple Daily owner Chi-Ying Lai and three others returned to a police station Wednesday (Dec. 2) while on bail, but were charged with “fraud” and detained overnight. They are expected to appear in the West Kowloon court on Thursday. They are expected to appear in the West Kowloon court on Thursday for a hearing.
The Next Media’s Apple Daily said the conviction could carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
On August 10, the National Security Division of the Hong Kong Police arrested 71-year-old Chi-Ying Lai, his two sons, and several Next Media executives for “allegedly violating national security laws” and “conspiring with foreign countries or forces to endanger China’s national security”, and sent nearly 200 police officers to search the Next Media building and remove boxes of evidence.
Among those arrested on the same day were members of the non-governmental organization “Hong Kong Story” Lee Yu-Han, former member of Xuemin Si-Chao Lee Zong-Ze, former member of the Standing Committee of the Hong Kong People’s Volunteers Chow Ting, etc. They were suspected of “money laundering. They were suspected of “money laundering” and “colluding with foreign forces or inciting secession,” respectively.
Li Zhiying and 10 others were later released on bail. However, Lee was reportedly intercepted by Chinese Coast Guard officers on August 23 on his way to Taiwan on a speedboat on suspicion of “illegal border crossing” and is currently being held in Shenzhen’s Yantian Detention Center awaiting a court hearing. Chow was sentenced by a Hong Kong court on Dec. 2 to 10 months in prison, along with Huang Zhifeng, former secretary-general of Hong Kong’s Public Opinion, and Lin Langyan, former chairman of Hong Kong’s Public Opinion, on charges of inciting and participating in a rally on June 21 last year that surrounded police headquarters and was not authorized by authorities.
The Associated Press reports that Hong Kong police arrested Chi-Ying Lai and other top executives of Next Media on August 10 on political charges, including “allegedly violating the National Security Law,” but this time they were charged with “alleged fraud” without explanation.
In order to punish Hong Kong’s anti-sending campaign, which began in June last year, the Beijing authorities pushed the “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law” in Hong Kong at the end of June this year. This so-called “law” actually adds to Hong Kong people’s list of “four crimes”: secession, subversion of state power, terrorism, and colluding with foreign countries or forces abroad to endanger national security.
Apple Daily criticized the law in a front-page article on July 1, 2012, calling the “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law” a fatal blow to Hong Kong’s autonomy.
Many countries have terminated or suspended a number of bilateral extradition agreements with Hong Kong, and in response to Western accusations that the “Hong Kong National Security Law” is an opportunity to crack down on political dissent, China has instructed Hong Kong to cancel its bilateral extradition agreements with these countries. In response, China has instructed Hong Kong to cancel its extradition and mutual legal assistance agreements with these countries. In addition, the United States has imposed sanctions on a number of senior Hong Kong officials, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
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