A Hong Kong court quashes fraud conviction of ex-media mogul Jimmy Lai

A Hong Kong court overturned the fraud conviction of former media mogul Jimmy Lai on Thursday. Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the defunct Apple Daily and a critic of China's Communist Party, had been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison in 2022 on fraud charges related to the use of office space. Despite this legal victory, Lai will remain imprisoned, as he was recently sentenced to 20 years in a separate case under a China-imposed national security law. Lai's arrest and conviction have drawn international criticism and raised concerns about press freedom in Hong Kong. Authorities maintain that his case is unrelated to media independence.

A Hong Kong appellate court overturned Jimmy Lai's fraud conviction, ruling the prosecution failed to prove he made a "false representation" regarding the operation of Dico Consultants from Apple Daily's headquarters. Lai, the former media boss of the now-defunct Apple Daily, had been accused of violating the land lease conditions by concealing Dico Consultants' operations for over two decades. He was initially sentenced to five years and nine months in jail and fined HK$2 million. The Court of Appeal found the prosecution failed to prove the criminal act and that the lower court did not adequately consider Lai's state of mind. Lai is currently serving a separate 20-year sentence under national security laws. Another executive, Wong Wai-keung, who was jailed for 21 months, was also involved in the case.

In February 2026, Hong Kong's Court of First Instance overturned a fraud conviction against pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai. The ruling allowed Lai's appeal, along with another defendant, after determining a lower court judge had erred in the case. The fraud conviction stemmed from allegations that Lai's consultancy firm improperly used office space rented by his now-defunct Apple Daily, breaching lease terms with a government company. Lai had previously been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison on the fraud charges in 2022, and this appeal decision comes weeks after he was jailed for 20 years on separate national security charges. The appellate court judges stated that while Apple Daily Printing breached lease terms, Lai and the other defendant could not be held liable for concealment as a matter of law.