Hong Kong sentences media mogul to 6 years in prison

Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong media mogul and opponent of the Chinese Communist Party, has been sentenced to 69 months (almost 6 years) in prison after an extensive trial period.

He was sentenced on two counts of fraud related to leases for the offices of his companies, the popular newspaper "Apple Daily" and "Next Digital".

According to the BBC, in addition to the prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay a fine of approximately $256,837.

Lai, 75, was initially charged with fraud on December 3 of 2019 for allegedly violating the lease terms for office space for "Next Digital", the media company he founded.

On December 12 he was charged again under the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces and endangering national security.

The media entrepreneur is among a string of pro-democracy activists and supporters arrested by Hong Kong police in recent years as authorities step up their crackdown on dissent in the Chinese territory.

Besides the newspaper and media company, Lai also founded Giordano, an Asian clothing retailer.