Jimmy Lai, center, leaves the High Court after receiving bail in Hong Kong on December 23.
Photographer: Roy Liu / Bloomberg
Photographer: Roy Liu / Bloomberg
Hong Kong High Court’s decision to grant bail to media mogul Jimmy Lai is “incredible,” according to a comment to the spokeswoman for the Communist Party of China, who warned that there are legal grounds for the case to be transferred to the mainland.
The People’s Daily called the 73-year-old founder, Next Digital Ltd., “notorious and extremely dangerous.” Prosecutors accused Lai this month of agreeing to an imposing national security law imposed by Beijing in June, saying it cooperated with foreigners calling for sanctions against China.
A judge previously denied bail while giving prosecutors more time to examine media interviews and about 1,000 tweets for more evidence. The Hong Kong High Court later granted Lai a bail of A $ 10 million ($ 1.3 million) on December 23 on the condition that she stay at home and avoid interviewing or posting on the social networks. He also had to hand in his travel documents.
It’s not hard for Lai to lose bail and run away, the People’s Daily reports he said, citing his wealth and the “motives” of foreign forces.
Hong Kong courts are the last control of Beijing’s growing power
Lai’s arrest and a dramatic police raid on the editorial board of his pro-democracy Apple Daily in August sparked a clamor from foreign governments, including the UK, which said the new security law was being using to repress press freedoms in the former British colony. .
There are complete legal grounds for China to invoke Article 55 of the National Security Act, according to the newspaper. Article 55 states that China may “exercise jurisdiction over a case related to a crime that endangers national security” if the case is complex due to the involvement of a foreign country or external elements, or if there is a serious situation in which the Hong Kong government cannot effectively enforce the Act.
If Lai’s case cannot be handled in accordance with the law, it will cause a huge shock to the rule of law in Hong Kong and put national security in an extremely dangerous situation, according to the commentary.
The threat expressed to the publisher will add to growing concerns about China’s capture of Hong Kong. As the first security trials are set to begin, Hong Kong’s independent judiciary appears as the last control of Beijing’s power. So far, Hong Kong judges have continued to demonstrate their independence, but in a clear break with the past, Beijing is also weighing Hong Kong’s court decisions, praising satisfactory rulings and using friendly media to criticize others.
– With the assistance of John Liu and Jessica Sui