By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-10-03 07:23:38 | Updated at 2024-10-03 11:17:38
3 hours ago
Jailed former media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has asked a Hong Kong court to set up a jury trial for his defamation claim against a pro-Beijing newspaper, with his defence team saying a “huge public interest” will be involved.
Lai’s legal counsel on Thursday argued the Apple Daily founder’s prominent social status and Ta Kung Pao’s wide circulation and readership called for ordinary members of the public to determine the factual disputes of the case.
“Given the respective positions of [the plaintiff] and [the first defendant] in society, there is a huge public interest in the fair resolution of this dispute,” lawyers said in their written submissions to the High Court.
They added the jury, despite the 881-page documents expected to be involved in the trial, would face no difficulty in deciding on the plaintiff’s contention that Ta Kung Pao made groundless accusations against Lai in an “inflammatory” article published on June 25, 2020.
Madam Justice Queenie Au Yeung Kwai-yue said she would decide on the issue within October before the case proceeded further.
Lai, 76, is currently incarcerated in the maximum-security Stanley Prison awaiting the continuation of his high-profile national security trial, where he is expected to take the witness box to defend himself against foreign collusion and sedition charges.
