Apple Daily trio turn against Lai

Six ex-Apple Daily executives yesterday pleaded guilty to conspiring with their former boss and founder of the now defunct media outlet Jimmy Lai Chee-ying to allegedly collude with foreign forces, and three of them will testify as prosecution witnesses against Lai.

Deputy director of public prosecutions Anthony Chau Tin-hang told the court yesterday that Lai, 74, had been using Apple Daily to illustrate his political stance since Occupy Central in 2014 and the newspaper had published more than 160 inciting articles since April 2019.

Editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-Kwong, 47, publisher Cheung Kim-hung, 59, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, 51, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, 51 and editorial writers Fung Wai-kong, 57, and Yeung Ching-kee, 55, pleaded guilty to the national security offense before three national security judges in the high court yesterday, which may lead to a lesser penalty for the offense, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Three of the defendants - Cheung, Chan annd Yeung may enjoy a greater deduction of their sentences, for they will be appearing as tainted witnesses in Lai's trial beginning next Thursday.

The six will remain in custody. The judges - Esther Toh Lye-ping, Susana D'Almada Remedios and Alex Lee Wan-tang - have adjourned mitigation and sentencing until after Lai's trial is completed.

The six were charged with conspiracy to collude with external forces from July 2020 to June 2021 to seek sanctions against officials and governments here and in China.

Chau said in a summary of facts that Lai had been using the newspaper to advocate his political views.

"Since at least the Occupy Central movement which took place in 2014, Lai [had become] a public and vocal figure who frequently advocated his political position and views to the public, including with the use of Apple Daily as platform," he said, adding the six were aware of Lai's political position and his participation in protests.

Since the government proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in March 2019, Apple Daily published at least 11 alleged seditious articles, calling for people to join the protests.

Even after the government withdrew the bill, the newspaper continued to publish at least 34 seditious articles "against the regime and political order on a wider and more general basis," Chau said.

It also promoted hatred of the police and advocated "so-called acts of resistance, including means of violence and unlawful conduct as well as the agenda of mutual destruction."

Since the first Covid-19 infection was recorded here in January 2020, the daily posted at least 10 articles to incite hatred against the government and police force.

In response to the introduction of the national security law, Lai ordered Apple Daily to introduce an English version to "request external elements to impose sanctions or blockade, or engage in other hostile activities" against China and Hong Kong.

Despite the law coming into effect on June 30, 2020, the defendants continued to allegedly publish seditious content to urge foreign forces to impose sanctions.

"Immediately after the law took effect, Apple Daily condemned the NSL as an evil law [that is destructive toward] the one country, two systems principle," prosecutors said, adding the newspaper also called on people to fight against authorities.

Heavy security was deployed outside the court yesterday as roads around the high court in Admiralty were blocked when the defendants were taken there by prison vehicles around 9am.

That came as the Department of Justice applied to the court of final appeal against Lai hiring King's Counsel Timothy Owen for his trial, which starts on December 1.

This came a day after the court of appeal rejected the DoJ's bid to take the case to the city's top court.