Photo taken on May 5, 2020 shows Jimmy Lai Chee-ying appearing in court on unauthorized assembly charge in Hong Kong, China. (LUI SIU WAI / XINHUA)
Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday adjourned Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’ national security trial to Sept 25 next year.
Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, is charged with collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security and three other offenses. The city’s top court — The Court of Final Appeal — earlier ruled in favor of Lai’s request to hire British King’s Counsel Tim Owen as his defense lawyer. Following that, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu asked the Standing Committee of the nation’s top legislature to give an interpretation of the city’s National Security Law, to clarify whether it is in line with the law’s legislative intent to hire a foreign counsel, who generally don’t practise in the city, to engage in national security cases.
Chau said he believes that the central government is taking matters seriously, and was hoping the court would be able to reschedule the hearing for Jan 3, 2023
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Lai’s case, which was originally scheduled to begin on Dec 1, was subsequently adjourned to Tuesday, while waiting for the interpretation.
On Tuesday, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Chau Tin-hang, on behalf of the prosecution, asked for the case to be adjourned until Jan 3 next year, but the defense argued that it should be rescheduled and revealed that Owen had left Hong Kong.
Chau said he believes that the central government is taking matters seriously, and was hoping the court would be able to reschedule the hearing for Jan 3, 2023, as the National People’s Congress Standing Committee is scheduled to meet at the end of December.
The defense, however, request that it be delayed until October next year, as Owen is expected to complete a major trial in September.
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After a short recess in Tuesday’s court session, Esther Toh Lye-ping, one of the three-judge panel sitting on the bench in Lai’s case, ruled to adjourn the case to Sept 25. Toh said whether the NPCSC may decide to revise its agenda for the meeting scheduled for the end of this month is “not for us to speculate” on, and the court needs to wait for the NPCSC’s decision. It is out of the hands of the Hong Kong government and Department of Justice, she said.
Lai’s trial is slated to be heard for 40 days until Nov 21, 2023.