Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive, demanded a four-month delay in her extradition case in Canada on Monday, citing newly acquired documents from investment bank HSBC that her team said are critical to her safety and defense.
Meng, whose father is the company's founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, is battling extradition to the United States, where she faces allegations of bank fraud and collusion in connection with an alleged breach of U.S. sanctions on Iran by a Huawei subsidiary, according to a published article on MSN News.
Huawei Executive Requests Delay in Her Extradition Case
Her attorneys requested that the litigation, which is scheduled to resume at the end of April, be postponed until August 3 so that they could examine information that they believe could prove U.S. authorities deceived Canadian authorities about Meng's suspected crimes.
In a recently published report on Yahoo News, Huawei was granted a court order in Hong Kong on April 12 to procure documents from HSBC, the investment bank at the center of Meng's extradition and bribery trial. Previously, the corporation had been unable to obtain the paperwork from a court in the United Kingdom, where HSBC is based.
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Statements of Lawyers
Lawyers of Meng argued in documents released ahead of her court appearance on Monday, which stated, "An adjournment of these extradition proceedings is necessary to provide (Meng) with the opportunity to obtain, review, assess, and, if justified, seek to introduce relevant evidence."
On the other hand, at the behest of the U.S., Canadian government attorneys denied Meng's claims, finding the latest application as "unsubstantiated charges" and attempting to inappropriately prolong their case, according to a published report on Bangkok Post.
The Canadian attorney general argued, "It is the latest in a series of attempts to turn these proceedings into a trial that should properly take place in the (United States). It rests on unsubstantiated allegations... vigorously denied by the prosecution."
And explained, "The alleged need to gather information in Hong Kong is not based on any objective evidence that the documents obtained would be relevant or admissible in this proceeding."
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Important Information About the Case
Unless the judge extends an extension in the lawsuit, the final round of extradition hearings begins on April 26. It concludes on May 14, pending any appeals.
Since Meng's December 2018 detention based on a U.S. warrant during a Canadian airport stopover, the case has dragged on for almost two and a half years. She has been put under house arrest at night in her Vancouver mansion, guarded by guards at all hours, and is allowed to wear a wireless tracking device.
Meng is accused of defrauding HSBC by unfairly portraying ties between Huawei and its former affiliate Skycom, which sold telecoms equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. Her detention has caused a significant political schism between Canada and China; shortly after, Beijing detained two Canadian citizens on national security charges, former ambassador Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor.
