WASHINGTON (US) – Huawei Technologies chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers have approached a Canadian court seeking a stay in the proceedings for her extradition to the US.
The lawyers sought a stay as they believe President Donald Trump and other members of the administration are trying to use Meng “as a bargaining chip in a trade dispute”.
She was arrested by Canadian authorities at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018 based on a US warrant.
Authorities in the country accuse Meng of bank fraud by misleading HSBC about her firm’s relationship with an Iranian company. This put HSBC at risk of fines and penalties for violating Washington’s sanctions on Tehran.
“If I think it’s good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made – which is a very important thing – what’s good for national security, I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary,” Trump said after her arrest.
Meng’s lawyers termed Trump’s comments “offensive and ominous and all the more intimidating due to his history of interference in other recent high-profile criminal prosecutions”.
They alleged that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also politicised the extradition, by connecting Meng’s potential release to two Canadians – businessman Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat – who were held in China just days after her arrest and were recently booked for espionage.
Meng is the daughter of billionaire Ren Zhengfei, who founded the tech firm. It is involved in developing 5G wireless technology and involved in a long-running feud with the Trump government.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field