(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai will take the stand to defend himself in a major national security case after a court dismissed his bid to quash charges that could see the 76-year-old locked up for life.
Barrister Robert Pang, representing Lai, told the court of the decision on Thursday after judges ruled the trial meets the legal requirements to proceed. Lai’s lawyers will defend the Apple Daily founder and activist when the hearing resumes on November 20.
“We rule that the first defendant has a case to answer on all the charges,” Judge Esther Toh said, referring to Lai.
The case is one of the most high-profile under the Beijing-imposed national security law used to crack down on dissent following protests that roiled the Asia financial hub in 2019.
Lai is accused of conspiring to collude with foreign forces to sanction China and the former British colony, charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. He also faces one charge of conspiring to publish seditious information.
His lawyers had argued that the government failed to provide evidence that Lai’s conspiracy plot remained in place after the national security law came into effect in 2020. Prosecutors rebutted the claim, saying the testimonies from Lai’s associates showed the offending acts didn’t stop after the legislation was enacted.
A guilty verdict and a potential lengthy sentence could worsen Hong Kong relations with the US and other Western governments that have called for his release. For the septuagenarian, a conviction would add to the years of prison terms he’s already serving, including for convictions over his political activism.
(Updates with court details)
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