Lai Chi-ying‘s application for bail was originally granted, but the Department of Justice appealed to the Court of Final Appeal, which has now ruled in favor of the Department of Justice.
The Court of Final Appeal ruled that the Department of Justice had won the appeal; the judge found that the bail was improper and that Lai Chi-ying had failed to be released on bail and remained in custody, subject to further appeal.
According to Hong Kong‘s Apple Daily, the Court of Final Appeal has gathered a large queue of people waiting to hear the case an hour and a half before the hearing this morning, including Canadian consulate staff, European Union diplomats, Next Media CEO Zhang Jianhong, Catholic Cardinal Chen Rijun and others.
The five judges hearing the case are Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Permanent Judges Li Yee and Fok Siu-kong, and Non-Permanent Judges Chan Siu-kai and Szeto King. According to the Hong Kong National Security Law, national security cases must be heard by judges appointed by the Chief Executive at all levels of court under the law, so these five judges are equivalent to those appointed by the Hong Kong National Security Law to hear Lai Chi-ying’s case.
Last year, Lai Chi-ying successfully applied to the High Court for bail after 20 days in custody, with a bail amount of HK$10 million, and Lai was prohibited from leaving Hong Kong, contacting foreign officials, publishing articles in the media, and needing to stay at Home except to report to the police station or attend court hearings.
However, the Department of Justice appealed to the Court of Final Appeal, which ordered that Lai Chi-ying be re-admitted to custody pending a hearing last Monday (1); today the judge ruled that the Department of Justice won the appeal, and Lai Chi-ying is not eligible for bail.
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