Hong Kong court overturns China critic Jimmy Lai s fraud conviction in rare legal victory

A Hong Kong court has overturned the fraud conviction of pro-democracy media figure Jimmy Lai, marking a surprising legal win on Thursday. This decision follows Lai's 20-year prison sentence he received for a separate national security offense. Judges Jeremy Poon, Anthea Pang, and Derek Pang stated that they agreed to hear Lai's appeal, along with another defendant, because a lower court had made a mistake. In their summary, the judges explained, "The Court of Appeal granted them permission to appeal their conviction, accepted their appeals, canceled the convictions, and annulled the sentences." Despite this victory regarding the fraud case, Lai will continue to serve his 20-year sentence related to national security charges, which include two counts of conspiracy to work with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious content. This case has faced international backlash from human rights organizations and nations such as the U.S. and Britain. It is a significant part of the ongoing crackdown under the national security law imposed by Beijing following large pro-democracy protests in 2019. This legal win is a rare occurrence for Lai, who has been prosecuted multiple times and describes himself as a "political prisoner." On the same day, another court sentenced the father of a pro-democracy activist to eight months in prison under a local national security law for trying to cancel her insurance policy and withdraw money. Lai was previously sentenced in December 2022 to five years and nine months in prison for violating the lease terms of Apple Daily's headquarters by hiding the operations of a private firm, Dico Consultants Ltd., in the building.