Sawt Falasteen - Hong Kong court hears closing arguments in tycoon Jimmy Lai's trial

The 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper has pleaded not guilty to two counts of foreign collusion, with authorities accusing him of using various platforms to lobby Western nations to sanction China and Hong Kong.

The charges are brought under the city's national security law, which Beijing imposed after the finance hub saw huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The trial was scheduled to begin its final stages last Thursday but was postponed twice: first due to bad weather and then to address Lai's medical needs.

The defence had said on Friday that Lai was experiencing heart "palpitations" and had an episode where he felt like he was "collapsing".

Prosecutor Anthony Chau said on Monday that Lai had been prescribed medication and was wearing a heart rate monitoring device, which was given to him on Friday.

"(Lai) has made no complaint on his heart condition or general health condition and is fit to attend court," Chau said.

Judge Esther Toh also read out a memo by a senior medical officer saying that Lai was "physically and mentally fit for court".

Concerns have been raised previously over Lai's health by his family and rights groups.

The media tycoon has been kept behind bars since December 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement, and has lost weight during that time.

The Hong Kong government said in a statement on Friday that the "medical care received by Lai Chee-ying in custody is adequate and comprehensive".

"In view of (Lai's) claims of heart palpitations, after a visiting specialist from the Hospital Authority conducted a detailed examination on him on August 7, no abnormality was found," the statement read.

- Legal issues debated -

Dressed in a white shirt and pale windbreaker, Lai appeared in court on Monday without any medical equipment visible on his body.

He smiled and waved to supporters and family members in the public gallery when he entered.

He listened to Monday's court proceedings via a set of headphones and closed his eyes for a few minutes during the morning session.

The longrunning trial, which began in December 2023, is entering its final stages as Western nations and rights groups continue to call for Lai's release.

Aside from the collusion offence -- which could land him in prison for life -- Lai is also charged with "seditious publication" related to 161 op-eds carrying his byline.

Prosecutors are expected to take two days to make closing arguments, Chau said.

He spent Monday morning addressing legal issues, such as the interpretation of "collusion" under Hong Kong's national security law.

Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said last week that Hong Kong should "drop the baseless charges" against Lai, adding that holding him in "prolonged solitary detention while his health fails has been outrageously cruel".

US President Donald Trump told a Fox News radio programme last week that he brought up the tycoon's case with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"I'm going to do everything I can to save him," the outlet quoted Trump as saying.

The Hong Kong government last week said it "strongly disapproved and rejected the slanderous remarks made by external forces" regarding Lai's case.

A.Suleiman--SF-PST