Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

China and US clash again after Jimmy Lai convicted of fraud by Hong Kong court

China and US clash again after Jimmy Lai convicted of fraud by Hong Kong court

US State Department spokesman calls verdict ‘grossly unjust outcome’ and asks central government to respect ‘freedom of expression’.

Beijing has hit out at the United States for its attempt to “whitewash criminals” after Washington politicians condemned the “grossly unjust outcome” of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s latest trial, where the media tycoon was jailed for almost six years for fraud offences.

The latest war of words between the two countries was sparked by US Department of State spokesman Ned Price, who on Sunday appealed to the central government to respect freedom of expression, including for the press, in Hong Kong in the wake of Lai’s conviction on two charges of fraud.

“The United States condemns the grossly unjust outcome of Jimmy Lai’s latest trial sentencing,” Price wrote on Twitter. “By any objective measure, this result is neither fair nor just.”


US State Department spokesman Ned Price.

But Beijing’s foreign affairs office in Hong Kong hit back and said it strongly disapproved and firmly rejected “irresponsible comments” on the Lai case made by Price and a few US congressmen.

The office spokesman said Hongkongers’ rights were fully protected, but insisted rights and freedoms could not be used as an “immunity passport for lawbreakers, or a privilege for anti-China forces”.

“In Jimmy Lai’s fraud case, the evidence is clear, the procedure is law-based, and the judgment is open and transparent. The trial by the special administrative region court is totally legitimate and lawful and it brooks no interference or reproach,” he said.

Beijing’s office in the city also slammed Washington for accusing it of not respecting the freedom of the press “just because the case involves an anti-China criminal”.

The spokesman claimed America’s actions had exposed to the world Lai’s identity “as an agent and a pawn of the US”.

“The US often claims to stand up for fairness, justice and the rule of law, but it repeatedly sugarcoats criminals as ‘human rights pioneers’, smears the fair trial of [Hong Kong] courts,” he said.

He added Washington should stop its efforts to “whitewash criminals”.

Hong Kong weighed in to support of the central government and a spokesman for the city administration condemned Washington for ignoring the facts of the case to make “inaccurate and misleading” statements which also interfered with a fair trial.

He said it was unfair to the prosecution and the defence to politicise the proceedings, a fraud case that had “nothing to do with freedom of the press and speech”.

Lai was jailed for 5 years and nine months and fined HK$2 million (US$256,850) on Saturday for a breach of land lease terms by the “deliberate concealment” of a consultancy firm based at the offices of his now-closed Apple Daily newspaper.

The court convicted Lai – alongside Wong Wai-keung, the chief administrative officer at the paper’s parent company Next Digital – after they failed to disclose Dico Consultants’ operations to the landlord, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.

The corporation prohibited the use of the offices for anything other than publication and related services.

The court ruled that Lai and Wong’s actions amounted to deliberate concealment and a fraudulent act that went beyond what would typically be a breach of contract and a civil matter.

Lai was found guilty of two fraud charges for allowing the Dico to operate from the newspaper’s headquarters in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate for more than two decades.

Wong, convicted on one fraud charge for his role, was jailed for 21 months.

Lai was sentenced last year to a total of 20 months in prison for his involvement in four unauthorised assemblies.

Despite completing the sentence, Lai, is still remanded in custody for a High Court trial without a jury over allegations of collusion with foreign forces.

The case, however, has been indefinitely postponed for a decision by Beijing on whether Lai can be represented by a London-based barrister.

Apple Daily closed after a crackdown under the Beijing-imposed national security law in June last year.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×