The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily is the most prominent figure yet to be convicted under the national security law imposed by Beijing in June 2020.
The judges, all hand-picked by the chief executive to oversee national security proceedings, ruled that Lai continued to use his tabloid-style newspaper and political connections to instigate foreign intervention and sanctions against the local and central governments after collusion became a crime.
The businessman turned activist, who has been detained since December 2020, faces a minimum sentence of 10 years behind bars and up to life imprisonment if the judges conclude that he was a “principal offender” in the collusion conspiracies.
Also in court are six former senior executives of Apple Daily and two young lobbyists, who each pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces before the start of Lai’s trial.
The Post provides the latest update on the mitigation proceedings, which are expected to last up to four days.
