Huawei finance chief Meng Wanzhou faces final stage of extradition hearing
Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou will appear in court in Canada today as her long-running US extradition case enters its final stage.
Meng was arrested at Vancouver Airport in 2018 on US charges of misleading HSBC over Huawei’s dealings in Iran, causing the bank to violate sanctions against the country.
She has since been fighting a lengthy extradition case while under house arrest in Vancouver.
The case will today enter its final phase of arguments in British Columbia’s Supreme Court leading up to a final hearing in May.
Meng’s legal team will present arguments that US and Canadian authorities committed legal missteps during her initial arrest and questioning, which they say should invalidate her extradition.
Her lawyers have previously argued that the case should be dismissed due to alleged interference by former US President Donald Trump, who said he would intervene in the case if it would serve national security interests or help close a trade deal with China.
Canadian prosecutors have insisted that proper processes were followed and argued that Trump’s comments are moot now that he is no longer president.
The case has acted as a further strain on relations between the west and Beijing. Shortly after Meng’s arrest China detained two Canadians on espionage charges in what has been branded a retaliatory move.
Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are set to face trial soon, state media reported.
Last month Meng’s legal battle was brought to London when Huawei took HSBC to the High Court in a bid to access documents that could help it undermine the extradition proceedings.
But Meng’s application was rejected, and the finance chief was ordered to pay £80,000 in compensation for legal fees.