Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai (2nd left) arrives at the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong on Dec 31, 2020. (PARKER ZHENG/CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was sent back to jail on Thursday after the city’s Court of Final Appeal granted the prosecutors permission to appeal against his bail, which a High Court judge granted him last week.

The Court of Final Appeal, presumably led by incoming Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, will hear the appeal on Feb 1. Cheung will succeed Geoffrey Ma Tao-li on Jan 11 after the latter’s scheduled retirement.

READ MORE: Granting Jimmy Lai bail a heavy blow to rule of law

Lai, founder of Next Media, which owns the tabloid Apple Daily, had been denied bail by Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak after he was charged with fraud on Dec 2 and then for violating the National Security Law for Hong Kong on Dec 12.

But on Dec 23, Judge Lee Wan-tang of the High Court granted Lai, 73, bail of HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) and placed him under house arrest pending trial on the two charges.

The three judges said in a written judgment that Lee might have erred in handling Lai’s bail application by misinterpreting Article 42 of the National Security Law for Hong Kong. 

Article 42 of the National Security Law stipulates that no bail shall be granted to a criminal suspect or defendant unless the judge has sufficient grounds for believe that the criminal suspect or defendant will not continue to commit acts endangering national security. 

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