HONG KONG – A court in Hong Kong ruled on Thursday that media mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai is not guilty of criminal intimidation, quashing one of the several cases filed against him. This comes after his high-profile arrest last month under the national security law.
The latest verdict is regarding a 2017 case and is not related to his arrest. Lai, who is vocal with his criticism of Beijing, used foul language during an argument with a reporter from Oriental Daily News, a competitor of his tabloid Apple Daily. However, he was charged only in February this year.
Lai, who was born in the mainland, has not pleaded guilty.
He was arrested for allegedly colluding with foreign forces on August 10 and is the first high profile individual to be booked under the new law.
The 71-year-old used to frequently visit the US and had met top officials including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to garner support for democracy in Hong Kong, prompting China to brand him a traitor.