{"id":112114,"date":"2021-02-10T19:19:53","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T19:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=112114"},"modified":"2021-02-10T19:19:53","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T19:19:53","slug":"hong-kong-tycoon-jimmy-lai-denied-bail-in-national-security-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/markets\/hong-kong-tycoon-jimmy-lai-denied-bail-in-national-security-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai denied bail in national security case"},"content":{"rendered":"
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong\u2019s top court denied bail on Tuesday to media tycoon and Beijing critic Jimmy Lai, the most high-profile person to be charged under the city\u2019s national security law.<\/p> Lai had been in custody since Dec. 3, except for when he was released on bail for about a week late last year. He was granted a HK$10 million ($1.3 million) bail by a lower court on Dec. 23 only for the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) to bring him back into custody on Dec. 31 for another hearing.<\/p>\n His return to custody was related to Article 42 of the security law, which says that \u201cno bail shall be granted to a criminal suspect or defendant unless the judge has sufficient grounds for believing that the criminal suspect or defendant will not continue to commit acts endangering national security\u201d.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the CFA said the lower court applied an \u201cerroneous line of reasoning\u201d and \u201cmisconstrued\u201d Article 42. The decision was unanimous.<\/p>\n Lai was arrested in August when about 200 police officers raided the newsroom of his Apple Daily tabloid newspaper.<\/p>\n Beijing imposed the sweeping national security law on the former British colony in June 2020 after months of pro-democracy protests. The law punishes anything China considers subversion, secession, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.<\/p>\n Critics say it is aimed at crushing dissent and it erodes freedoms in the semi-autonomous, Chinese-ruled city. Its supporters say it restores stability after months of unrest.<\/p>\n Prosecutors have accused Lai of breaching the law over statements he made on July 30 and Aug. 18, in which they allege he requested foreign interference in Hong Kong\u2019s affairs.<\/p>\n Under the new law, the onus is on the defendant to prove they would not be a national security threat if released on bail. Under Hong Kong\u2019s common law-based legal system, the onus has traditionally been on the prosecution to prove its case.<\/p>\n The tycoon has been a frequent visitor to Washington, meeting with officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to rally support for Hong Kong democracy, prompting Beijing to label him a \u201ctraitor\u201d.<\/p>\n Lai stepped down last year as chairman of Next Digital, which publishes Apple Daily, a popular tabloid newspaper known for its feisty and critical coverage of China and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n