By Moira Warburton
(Reuters) – Lawyers representing Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou argued in federal court on Monday that redacted documents prepared by the Canadian spy agency relating to her December 2018 arrest should be released.
The lawyers said national security should not limit the release of the documents, parts of which were made public during ongoing court proceedings over Meng’s requested extradition to the United States, court documents showed.
Meng’s lawyers have asked for additional documents from the Canadian government pertaining to her arrest, hoping to support their claim that Canadian authorities committed abuses of process during her arrest. The lawyers are pressing for a stay in Meng’s extradition.
In a redacted document from Dec. 1, 2018, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said it was advised by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of plans to arrest Meng when she arrived on a flight at Vancouver International Airport later that same day.
Meng is accused by U.S. authorities of bank fraud for misleading HSBC about Huawei’s relationship with a company operating in Iran, putting HSBC at risk of fines and penalties for breaking U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
The documents in question relate to communications between the FBI and CSIS and show the involvement of the Canadian spy agency in the arrest of Meng, which soured diplomatic ties between Ottawa and Beijing.
Lawyers for the Canadian attorney general have released some of the requested documents, but claimed privilege over others, saying that a full unredacted release of the documents would compromise national security.
“National security privilege should not be used to cover up abuse,” Meng’s lawyers wrote in a submission outlining their arguments. “Additionally, national security privilege should not be used to protect government enforcement officials from being embarrassed.”
(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Toronto; Editing by Tom Brown)
