HONG KONG (AP) – The highest court in Hong Kong on Thursday revoked the bail of media mogul Jimmy Lai after prosecutors managed to ask judges to send him back to detention.
Lai received bail on December 23, after three weeks in detention, on charges of fraud and danger to national security. His appeal hearing is scheduled for February 1.
The court ruled on Thursday that it was “reasonable to argue” that the previous judge’s decision was erroneous and that the bail order was invalid.
Lai is among a number of pro-democracy activists and supporters arrested by Hong Kong police in recent months as authorities step up their crackdown on dissent in semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
He was charged with fraud on December 3 for allegedly violating the terms of office space for Next Digital, the media company he founded. He was later charged again on December 12, in accordance with the imposing national security law imposed by Beijing on suspicion of cooperating with foreign forces and endangering national security.
Lai entered the Final Court of Appeal without comment to supporters and the media, many of whom defeated the tycoon as he headed for the courtroom. His bail included handing over his travel documents and banning him from meeting with foreign officials, publishing articles on any media, posting on social media and giving interviews.
The Chinese state-run People’s Daily on Sunday published a strongly criticized comment to the court for bailing Lai, saying it “seriously affected the rule of law in Hong Kong.”
Ziarul Poporului said that Lai would not be difficult to escape and called him “notorious and extremely dangerous”. He also warned that China could take over the case, in accordance with Article 55 of the National Security Law, which provides that China may “exercise jurisdiction over a case of crime that endangers national security.”
A Hong Kong court uploaded a 19-page ruling on its website on Tuesday, setting out the reasons why High Court Judge Alex Lee granted Lai bail. Lee said he was pleased that there was no risk of flying in Lai’s case and mentioned that Lai was willing to monitor his movements if it was a feasible option.
On Tuesday, Lai resigned as president and CEO of Next Digital, which runs the Apple Daily, according to a file made on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He did this “to spend more time dealing with these personal matters” and confirmed that he had no disagreement with the board, the file states.