Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai and two of his senior company executives were charged with fraud as they reported to police on Wednesday.

The three men, including director Royston Chow and administrative director Wong Wai-keung, are expected to be detained overnight and will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday.

The fraud charge was related to Next Digital’s headquarters in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, which were allegedly used for purposes not permitted by the lease, granted by the Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation.

When Lai was arrested on Aug. 10, he was, in addition to suspected fraud, accused of collusion with foreign forces, an offense under Hong Kong’s national security law. On that day, police took away Lai, his two sons and four senior management figures as 200 officers raided the headquarters of Next Digital, which runs Apple Daily. One of the executives, animation manager Ng Tat-kwong, was arrested for conspiracy to defraud.

Next Digital chief executive Cheung Kim-hung, who was also among the arrested, said the police’s decision to press charges against Lai, Chow and Wong would not affect the company’s operations.

On Wednesday, Lai arrived at Mong Kok police station at 12:52 p.m. as required under his bail conditions. When asked if he was worried about being prosecuted, the media entrepreneur said he would face the situation with ease and not think about it.

Cheung was released on bail four hours later under the same conditions. He said that he had been asked to make a statement and recordings over the case again.

Lai’s sons, Timothy Lai and Ian Lai, were also released on bail with the same conditions after they reported to the police over their arrests in August on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and collusion with foreign forces respectively. The siblings have to report again on March 2.

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