Ex-Apple Daily executive first to appeal sentence in landmark Hong Kong trial

A former Apple Daily senior executive jailed for national security offences in Hong Kong has lodged an appeal against his 10-year term, the first in a landmark trial that saw the founder of the now-defunct tabloid-style newspaper sentenced to 20 years in prison.Court documents reviewed by the South China Morning Post on Tuesday showed that Fung Wai-kong, former managing editor of Apple Daily’s English edition, had filed his appeal with the city’s High Court on Monday.Fung was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces last month.The verdict was delivered by a panel of three judges who also handed down penalties to former media boss and Apple Daily owner Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, six senior executives of the newspaper, three firms associated with the now-defunct outlet and two activists.Fung Wai-kong leaves the force’s headquarters in Wan Chai in June 2021. Photo: HandoutFung was among the three former employees of Apple Daily who did not volunteer as prosecution witnesses in the trial that lasted more than 18 months before concluding in December with Lai’s conviction.