Chinese Huawei telecom exec to appear in Canadian court

A Chinese Huawei telecom executive is set to appear in a Canadian court to fight for her release on fraud charges after she was arrested on a U.S. warrant that triggered a diplomatic row. 

Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou will make an appearance on Wednesday to begin what is expected to be a long legal battle against the United States’ request that she be extradited to face fraud charges. 

Canada’s justice department said the court will set the next key dates in an extradition process – including the start of the formal hearing for the 47-year-old, which could take months or even years. 

Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested at Vancouver’s airport in December on a U.S. warrant and is fighting extradition on fraud charges that she misled global banks about Huawei’s relationship with a company operating in Iran. 

She is expected to make only a brief appearance before the judge to deal with matters described by officials as ‘administrative in nature’. 

Her lawyers are also likely to renew their objections to her December arrest while seeking an easing of her bail conditions. 

The largely procedural hearing is the latest development in a case that has escalated tensions between China and both the U.S. and Canada.  

Meng is expected to make only a brief appearance before the judge on Wednesday to deal with matters described by officials as ‘administrative in nature’

The U.S. wants to put Meng on trial on fraud charges for allegedly violating Iran sanctions and lying about it to American banks, but the case has become a major irritant for Ottawa.

Following her arrest, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian businessman Michael Spavor in what observers saw as retaliation.

China later announced it suspected Kovrig of spying and stealing state secrets and alleged Spavor had provided him with intelligence.

Two other Canadians convicted of drug trafficking, meanwhile, were sentenced to death. Beijing also recently blocked Canadian shipments of canola and pork worth billions of dollars.

Canada has accused Beijing of arbitrarily detaining both Kovrig and Spavor, and called the death penalties for Canadians Fen Wei and Robert Schellenberg ‘cruel and inhumane’.

It has also rallied the support of a dozen countries, including Britain, France, Germany and the US, as well as the EU, NATO and the G7, in its diplomatic feud with China. 

Most recently, Ottawa has pressed Washington – which is threatening a trade war with Beijing – to step up its pressure on behalf of the detained Canadians.

The U.S. wants to put Meng on trial on fraud charges for allegedly violating Iran sanctions and lying about it to American banks, but the case has become a major irritant for Ottawa

‘Canadian lives are at stake,’ an unnamed Canadian official stressed to broadcaster CTV.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has insisted that Meng’s case would be dealt with by the courts and not politicized.

He sacked his ambassador to China in January for suggesting that Meng had a ‘strong case’ against extradition, citing remarks by President Donald Trump that he might seek to have the charges against Meng dropped in exchange for trade concessions from China.

Meng was released on bail mid-December in Vancouver, where she owns two residences, on a $10 million bond. She has also been ordered to wear an electronic anklet and hand over her passports.

She is now suing the Canadian government, alleging false imprisonment and a breach of her rights.

In court documents, Meng alleges that border officials and federal police delayed executing the US warrant by three hours during her stopover at the Vancouver airport in order to question her and search her luggage and electronic devices, hoping to glean evidence to be used against her at trial.

Huawei is also facing separate U.S. charges for allegedly stealing American technology, and in recent months has faced a U.S. campaign to blacklist it over espionage fears.

Canada has said it will decide before a federal election in October whether or not to join the U.S. and other Five Eyes intelligence partners in banning Huawei from Canada’s fifth generation wireless networks.