The verdict in the trial is expected to be handed down on Nov. 25.
Those accused with Zen and Sze are lawyer Margaret Ng, singer-activist Denise Ho, cultural studies scholar Hui Po-Keung, and ex-legislator Cyd Ho.
Cyd Ho is already jailed for a different charge. Sze has been released on bail and is required to report to the police in February.
Zen and the fund’s other trustees were arrested in May by national security police but the cardinal was released on bail and now faces a less serious charge with a maximum penalty of a $1,200 (HK$10,000) fine.
All six have pleaded not guilty to charges that they failed to apply for local society registration for the now-disbanded fund that helped Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters pay for their legal fees and medical treatments.
Senior Counsel Robert Pang defended Zen in court and argued on Oct. 31 that imposing “criminal sanctions on the failure to register must be an infringement of freedom of association.”
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