Lai was found to have breached the terms of lease for the headquarters of his now defunct Apple Daily newspaper after concealing the operation of a consultancy that provided corporate secretarial services to private firms Lai controlled, reports CNN.

Lai has also been fined  2 million Hong Kong dollars ($257,000).

He has been disqualified as a company director for eight years.

Wong Wai Keung, the director of administration of Apple Daily’s parent company Next Digital and a co-defendant, was sentenced to 21 months in jail, the American news channel reported.

The same court had convicted the duo in October.

Both had pleaded not guilty.