Court to hold hearing in July on confiscating Jimmy Lai’s properties
Sixty-minute hearing set for July 8 to handle confiscation order that authorities say will ‘cut off funding chains’ for national security offences
According to a court document seen by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, the secretary for justice filed an application with the Court of First Instance to confiscate Lai’s property after he was sentenced to 20 years in jail for national security offences.
A 60-minute hearing is scheduled for July 8 to handle the confiscation order before a High Court judge.
The government last week said the judicial proceedings were taken in accordance with the national security law, as “any money or property gained from crimes under the national security law, including financial aid, profits, rewards and any funds or tools used or meant to be used in committing the crime, shall be confiscated”.
Lai, founder of the now defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was convicted in February of two conspiracy counts of collusion with foreign forces and a third of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious articles.
The High Court also fined Apple Daily, Apple Daily Printing and AD Internet more than HK$3 million (US$383,800) each.
The net worth of the businessman turned activist was reportedly estimated to be more than HK$1 billion before his arrest in 2020.