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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and eight co-defendants will learn their fate “as soon as practicable,” one of the judges presiding over the landmark national security case announced Tuesday, as the mitigation hearing concluded.
Judge Esther Toh stated Tuesday that she, along with Judges alex Lee and Susana Maria D’Almada Remedios, require time to analyse the mitigation submissions and consider legal arguments surrounding the sentencing mechanisms of the Beijing-imposed national security law. No sentencing date was given.
“What we have to do is go through everything said to us and analyse your submissions and properly come to a decision,” Toh said. Lee acknowledged the complexity of the sentencing process, noting, “It’s not an easy task.”
- Lai, the founder of Apple Daily, faces up to life in prison after being found guilty last month of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and sedition.
- The mitigation hearing for Lai and eight co-defendants concluded two days ahead of schedule.
- Defense lawyers argued for leniency, emphasizing the defendants’ roles and contributions, and in some cases, their expressions of regret.
The court heard mitigation statements from Lai on Monday,the first day of the hearing. Last month, the Apple Daily founder was found guilty of two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and one count of sedition. He faces a potential life sentence.
The eight co-defendants, who pleaded guilty to national security offenses in 2021 and 2022, have yet to be sentenced.
On Monday, the court also heard mitigation pleas for Chan Pui-man, Apple Daily’s ex-associate publisher, who is accused of conspiring to solicit foreign sanctions or unfriendly acts against Hong Kong or China. The offense carries a potential sentence of 10 years to life in prison for “grave” cases.Li requested a 50 percent sentence reduction, citing Chan’s early guilty plea and cooperation with authorities.
Chan is accused of conspiring to solicit foreign sanctions or hostile acts against Hong Kong or China. The offense carries a potential sentence of 10 years to life in prison for “grave” cases. Li requested a 50 percent sentence reduction, citing Chan’s early guilty plea and cooperation with authorities.
Senior Counsel Bruce Tse, representing former editor-in-chief Ryan Law, highlighted Law’s active participation in fundraising for the apple Daily Charitable Foundation. Erik Shum, representing former executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, emphasized the importance of focusing on the defendants’ individual actions, referencing a previous Court of Final Appeal ruling.
similarly, Edwin Choy, representing fung Wai-kong, former editor-in-chief of Apple Daily’s English news section, argued that the sentencing shoudl focus on individual offenses rather than the broader conspiracy. He noted Fung was not part of the “ideological core” of the publication.
Representing former editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee, barrister Cindy Kong argued her client was the lowest in the hierarchy of culpability,
