By Moira Warburton
VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Canada has called for two of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou’s main arguments in her fight against U.S. extradition to be dismissed, saying her claims are not backed with evidence and one issue has been ruled on, court documents released on Tuesday showed.
Meng, 49, was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018 on a warrant from the United States, where she faces charges of bank fraud for allegedly misleading HSBC about Huawei’s business dealings in Iran, causing the bank to break U.S. sanctions.
Meng, who has said she is innocent, has since been on house arrest in Vancouver.
Meng’s claim that Canadian and American authorities inappropriately coordinated her interrogation and arrest “is supported only by speculation and innuendo, and she has failed to establish the existence of the conspiracy she alleges,” Canadian government lawyers said in written submissions.
The claims are “serious allegations that must be supported by strong evidence,” the submissions to the British Columbia Supreme Court said.
They also accused Meng of attempting to re-litigate an issue that the presiding judge has ruled on, specifically whether Meng’s actions could be considered illegal in Canada. Meng’s legal team has accused the United States of misleading Canada in its description of her alleged crimes.
Huawei officials were not immediately available for comment.
Meng will return to court on Wednesday. Her case is scheduled to wrap up in May, although the potential for appeals on either side mean it could continue for some years.
The case has caused a deterioration in relations between Ottawa and Beijing. Shortly after Meng’s arrest, China detained two Canadians – Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig – on espionage charges, which Canada has called retaliation.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Vancouver; Editing by Denny Thomas and Edwina Gibbs)
