The Hong Kong government has filed to confiscate upwards of HK$127 million from jailed media figure Jimmy Lai, according to a court document made public on Tuesday. The writ, issued by the High Court, identifies a collection of assets tied to Lai including bank balances, several small factory properties and stakes in privately held companies.
The seizure proceeding is listed for a hearing on July 8. A spokesperson for Lai's legal team said they had no comment for now.
Lai, a long-standing pro-democracy advocate and a prominent critic of Beijing, was sentenced in February to 20 years' imprisonment after being convicted on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials. His prosecution drew international attention in part because he founded the outspoken and now-closed Apple Daily newspaper.
Pro-Beijing media outlets and officials have repeatedly characterised Lai as a pro-American traitor and as the architect of the widespread pro-democracy demonstrations that took place in 2019.
Breakdown of assets listed in the writ
- The single largest item named in the writ is Lai's shareholdings in two private companies, Comitex Holdings and Dico Consultants. The document values those holdings at more than HK$71.3 million, a figure derived from the firms' property and bank holdings.
- The government is seeking to recover HK$12 million in bail funds that were provided by Lai.
- The remaining amount comprises deposits held across more than 50 bank accounts associated with Lai and several privately held companies, the writ states.
According to the document, the government's application to seize these assets is made under the implementing rules of the national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. Lawyers cited in the filing say those rules grant authorities broad powers to first freeze and subsequently seize property and financial assets connected to national security cases.
Some foreign governments and international rights organisations have criticised the national security law and its effects on the former British colony. Hong Kong and Chinese officials, as noted in the filing, have defended the legislation as necessary to restore stability following the sometimes-violent protests of 2019.
All monetary amounts in the writ are expressed in Hong Kong dollars; the document includes the conversion rate of $1 = 7.8309 Hong Kong dollars.