Jimmy Lai, 72, at the Next Digital offices in Hong Kong, June 16, 2020. ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP
Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai won an appeal on Thursday, February 26, over a 2022 fraud conviction, days after a court jailed him on separate national security charges. The ruling was a surprise win for Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, who was sentenced to 20 years behind bars this month on collusion charges under a Beijing-imposed national security law.
The fraud case grew out of a contractual dispute and was unrelated to the charges he faced under the security law. Lai did not appear in court and remains behind bars. "(We) allow the appeals, quash the convictions and set aside the sentences," High Court Chief Judge Jeremy Poon said, adding that he granted Lai's application not to show up in court. Prosecutors did not answer reporters' questions on whether the authorities will appeal.
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