Huawei CFO’s First Victory in Extradition Fight

Lawyers for Huawei’s CFO, Meng Wanzhou, have won a court battle after a judge asked Canada’s attorney general to hand over more evidence and documents relating to her arrest.

Meng’s lawyers contested her extradition on grounds that the United States is using it for economic and political gain and exposed cracks in the way Canada handled her arrest, including an admission from border officials that they “in error” shared her device passwords with police.

SEE ALSO: Huawei Founder Ren Zhengfei Comments on Meng Wangzhou Incident and Canadian Strategy

According to Meng’s legal team, the Canada Border Services Agency, police and FBI unlawfully used the pretext of an immigration check to get Meng to disclose evidence that could be used against her.

Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes in the Supreme Court of British Columbia ordered Canadian officials to turn over a wide range of documents relating to Meng’s arrest from the Canada Border Services Agency and the Department of Justice. Meng’s team believes the papers will support their claim of an abuse of process.

For Meng, the victory is the first step in what will probably be a long battle against the odds. Of the 798 US extradition requests received since 2008, Canada has only refused or discharged eight, according to Canada’s Department of Justice.

Meng, Huawei CFO and daughter of Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei, was arrested at the Vancouver International Airport in December last year at the request of the US, where she is charged with bank fraud and accused of sharing misleading information about Huawei Technologies’ business in Iran.

If you want to explore China’s tech ecosystem but don’t know where to start, check out DecodeChina, a one-week immersion program organized by insiders from Pandaily. The latest installment will take place in Beijing and Shenzhen on January 13-19, 2020. Visit decode.pandaily.com to apply and secure a spot!