Huawei exec Meng Wanzhou sues Canadian authorities over detention
Senior Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou is suing Canadian authorities for illegally holding her and interrogating her for three hours before her arrest at Vancouver International Airport in December.
The chief financial officer of the Chinese telecoms giant is facing extradition to the US to face accusations of sanctions busting.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday according to reports, alleges Canadian authorities held her on the pretext of a routine immigration stop.
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This allegedly allowed them to interrogate her for three hours and search her luggage and electronic devices without allowing her access to a lawyer or other rights that are triggered when a suspect is arrested.
This was “a deliberate and premeditated effort on the part of the defendant officers to obtain evidence and information from the plaintiff in a manner which they knew constituted serious violations of the plaintiff’s rights,” according to the suit.
It targeted the officers involved in the detention and Canada’s attorney-general.
Canadian authorities said on Friday that Meng could be extradited to the US, pending a final court hearing.
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The Chinese embassy in Ottawa has called the arrest a "political persecution" and that it is "utterly dissatisfied" with Canada's decision.
The arrest has soured relations between the US and China amid a trade war that looks to soon be resolved.
Meng, whose father, Ren Zhengfei, founded the Chinese tech giant, denies all wrongdoing.
"Our client maintains that she is innocent of any wrongdoing and that the US prosecution and extradition constitutes an abuse of the processes of law," Meng's defence team said.