Activists plead guilty, reveal collusion link with tycoon

Activist Andy Li Yu-hin and paralegal Chan Tsz-wah have pleaded guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces and with Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and his aide Mark Simon to endanger national safety.

They admitted in the High Court before Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang yesterday to colluding with Lai, Simon and others in organizing international promotions to call on foreign governments to sanction Hong Kong and mainland officials between July 2020 and February this year.

Lai, who is in jail custody, will appear in West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on October 12 for charges that include collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security, conspiracy to commit collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security and conspiracy to do an act or a series of acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice.

Chan, 29, was also accused of assisting 30-year-old Li and 11 other activists to flee to Taiwan on August 23 last year. The 12 were intercepted by coast guards off Guangdong.

In acknowledging the case, Li bowed and said in English: "I agree [with] the facts and I would like to say sorry."

The prosecution said Lai and Simon were the "masterminds and financial supporters behind the scene," with Simon responsible for reporting to Lai directly, executing Lai's instructions and vetting all requests for financial support.

And Chan acted as the agent of Lai and Simon by conveying their instructions to Li and Finn Lau Cho-dik, allegedly core members of Stand With Hong Kong, an organization established in August 2019 to press countries for sanctions against the mainland and the SAR. It was also alleged that from June to August 2019 Chan, Li and other activists organized three rounds of crowdfunding to support three international campaigns. The crowdfunding raised HK$24.4 million.

The aim was to condemn the mainland, Hong Kong and SAR police. And countries were to be urged to sanction the mainland and the SAR through articles in newspapers in countries that include the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

Simon was also said to have arranged for crowdfunding money totaling HK$6.21 million to be transferred to Li's accounts.

Lai and Simon were alleged to have made HK$5 million in advance payments of the first international campaign in June 2019.

Simon was said to have given Li HK$500,000 for the Elections Observation Mission, which invited British politicians Lord David Alton and Luke de Pulford to watch 2019's district council elections.

The prosecution said Li was "a working-level leader" and actively managed Stand With Hong Kong, including publishing and disseminating various material.

The sanction list targeted 144 individuals including mainland and SAR officials and was sent to Samuel Chu Muk-man, founder of the US-based Hong Kong Democracy Council.

According to The Standard's sister newspaper Sing Tao Daily, the sanction list included Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung, former police commissioners Stephen Lo Wai-chung and Andy Tsang Wai-hung, as well as former director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Zhang Xiaoming.

Washington has already imposed sanctions on Lam, Lee, Cheng, Tang, Lo and Zhang for "undermining Hong Kong's autonomy."

Li has acknowledged that requesting other countries to cease extradition agreements with Hong Kong amounted to hostile activities.

Li was arrested on August 10 last year while Chan was arrested on October 10, 2020. Both were in custody before yesterday's hearing. Judge Lee did not proceed with mitigation and sentencing procedures and adjourned the case to January 3.

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com