A Hong Kong court ruled that a national security case against pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai may proceed, rejecting his bid to quash the trial that could see the 76-year-old founder of shuttered Apple Daily locked up for life.

“We rule that the first defendant has a case to answer on all the charges,” judge Esther Toh said on Thursday, referring to Lai. 

The case is one of the most high-profile under the Beijing-imposed national security law used to crack down on dissent following protests that roiled the Asia financial hub in 2019.

Lai is accused of conspiring to collude with foreign forces to sanction China and the former British colony, charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. He also faces one charge of conspiring to publish seditious information.

His lawyer, Robert Pang, had argued that the government failed to provide evidence that Lai’s conspiracy plot remained in place after the national security law came into effective in 2020. Prosecutors rebutted the claim, saying the testimonies from Lai’s associates showed the offending acts didn’t stop after the legislation was enacted.

A guilty verdict and a potential lengthy sentence could worsen Hong Kong relations with the US and other Western governments that have called for his release. For the septuagenarian, a conviction will add to the years of prison terms he is already serving, including for convictions over his political activism.

  - Bloomberg