Hong Kong court orders defunct Apple Daily to pay HK$1.5 million over defamatory articles

A Hong Kong court has ordered the defunct Apple Daily newspaper to pay HK$1.5 million in damages. The ruling, delivered on Tuesday by the High Court, stems from 10 defamatory articles published by the newspaper. These articles accused a listed company, China Innovation Investment, its chairman Xiang Xin, and his wife, alternate director Kung Ching, of spying on pro-democracy activists at Beijing's direction. The court found that the articles exposed the plaintiffs to contempt and ridicule. Apple Daily, which is now under the control of liquidators following a government petition in 2021, presented no evidence to counter the civil claim.