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Tuesday, May 13, 2025
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National security trial for Jimmy Lai postponed to next Sept
The High Court said on Tuesday the media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying's foreign collusion trial will be postponed to September as awaiting China's decision on whether foreign lawyers are allowed to represent defendants in local national security cases.
Three National Security Law-designated judges determined today in a mention of Lai's case that the 74-year-old pro-democracy publisher will be kept in custody pending his 40-day stand trial, which is scheduled on September 25 next year.
Lai was the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily. He was arrested and in custody after being alleged to breach national security law.
His trial was expected to begin on December 1 and last for 30 days, before which Lai applied for seeking defence from Timothy Owen, a London-based legal veteran specialising in criminal and human rights law.
However, the trial was postponed as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu stepped in and claimed to seek a ruling from Beijing for determining, based on Article 65 of the National Security Law, whether an overseas lawyer would be allowed to take part in cases involving national security.
In a press briefing on Monday, Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong's outgoing representative to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said the law article is still pending an official interpretation from Beijing.
In today's court, three judges decided to postpone the trial again and revealed Owen, the British barrister, has decided to leave Hong Kong.
Lai was sentenced to five years and nine months with a fine of HK$2 million last Saturday for violating a lease contract for his media outlet headquarters.
Lai was the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily. He was arrested and in custody after being alleged to breach national security law.
His trial was expected to begin on December 1 and last for 30 days, before which Lai applied for seeking defence from Timothy Owen, a London-based legal veteran specialising in criminal and human rights law.
However, the trial was postponed as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu stepped in and claimed to seek a ruling from Beijing for determining, based on Article 65 of the National Security Law, whether an overseas lawyer would be allowed to take part in cases involving national security.
In a press briefing on Monday, Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong's outgoing representative to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said the law article is still pending an official interpretation from Beijing.
In today's court, three judges decided to postpone the trial again and revealed Owen, the British barrister, has decided to leave Hong Kong.
Lai was sentenced to five years and nine months with a fine of HK$2 million last Saturday for violating a lease contract for his media outlet headquarters.
