Prosecution challenges Jimmy Lai's statements in ongoing trial

In a pivotal moment during the 127th day trial of Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the prosecution highlighted discrepancies in Lai's testimonies regarding his connections with United States senators. 

This revelation emerged from an Apple Daily video interview dated October 22, 2019, where Lai was seen meeting with four US senators alongside Samuel Chu Muk-man, the founder of the Hong Kong Democracy Council. 

Despite this, Lai has consistently claimed ignorance about the council itself, asserting that he only recognized Chu as the head of an "organization supporting Hong Kong."

When pressed by the prosecution, Lai attempted to clarify his earlier statement where he claimed he "couldn’t recall" details about the council. 

“I don’t remember [the council] because I didn’t know [about it],” he said.

The prosecution also scrutinized Lai's shifting descriptions of his relationship with paralegal Chan Tsz-wah, who previously testified as a prosecution witness. 

They pointed out that Lai had provided inconsistent accounts regarding his understanding of Chan on three different occasions. 

At one point, Lai labeled Chan as a “young frontline protestor,” while later referring to him as a “conservative frontline protestor.” 

Citing Martin Lee Chu-ming, the founding chairman of the Democratic Party, Lai suggested that he viewed Chan as a “conservative” figure capable of mitigating violence among protestors.

In his defense, Lai claimed that all his descriptions of Chan conveyed the same essential meaning, emphasizing that he considered Chan a “rather conservative and peaceful protest in the frontline.” 

He also regarded Chan as a key leader during the 2019 protests, noting Chan's ability to negotiate with other protestors to promote less violent actions and to secure loans from Lee.

(Eunice Lam)