4th August 2019 – (Hong Kong) Jimmy Lai of the Next Media Group & his assistant, Mark Simon (an ex-US navy with alleged ties to the US Central Intelligence Agency) met up with a mysterious foreign man and 7 others i.e.Martin Lee, Chairman of Democratic Party, Anson Maria Elizabeth Chan Fang On-sang who served as ex-Chief Secretary, Cardinal Joseph Zen, legislative councillors including Alan Leong, Jeremy Jansen Tam, Lee Wing-tat and Albert Ho for dinner at 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana, an Italian fine dining restaurant located at Alexandra House in Central yesterday evening.
All of them arrived at the restaurant at around 6.25pm yesterday and they sat at a table for around 2 hours before the entourage started to leave at 8.25pm.
Mark Simon and the foreign man only left the restaurant at 9.20pm before taking a taxi.
Jimmy Lai who allegedly funded the Occupy Central movement in 2014 met up with US Vice President, Mike Pence and Michael R. Pompeo, US Secretary of State in July 2019. Meanwhile, Jimmy Lai’s company recorded a net loss of HK$338 million in the financial year of 2018-2019. The total accumulated loss in 4 years has reached over HK$1.5 billion while the group has suffered a whopping loss of HK$2.3 billion in the last 9 years.
Cardinal Joseph Zen is one of the trustees of the recently set up 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund to provide FREE legal service and for protesters who were arrested and charged during anti-extradition protest and to cover their medical fees. The Fund has recently provided legal support for the 45 protesters who were arrested during the Sheung Wan clash on 28th July. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Monetary Authority has started investigation on the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund which covers medical and legal expenses for protesters.