Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal on Thursday sent pro-democracy media tycoon, Jimmy Lai, back to
jail granting the prosecution’s application to hold him in custody under national
security charges. Lai is accused of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security.

The verdict comes after a lower court on Wednesday granted bail under stringent conditions including a HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) bond and a surrender of all travel documents, a move dubbed as ‘unbelievable’ and ‘erroneous’ by city’s highest court and media.

“We have held
that it is reasonably arguable that the Judge’s decision was erroneous and that
his order admitting the respondent to bail was invalid,” the Court of Final Appeal read.

The higher court also found the previous decision to be against Article 42 of the new legislation, which states that bail
should not be granted unless the judge sees sufficient grounds to believe the
defendant will not commit the alleged offence again.

Lai, who is also facing separate charges of fraud and joining unlawful assemblies during the massive,
often violent, pro-democracy protests of 2019, served 20 days in custody before being granted bail.

He spent last week under house arrest, banned from speaking publicly, including on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Lai resigned as chairman and executive director of Next Digital Ltd, which owns the Apple Daily newspaper he founded three decades ago.