VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, has been charged in Canada with conspiring to defraud banks of unwitting U.S. financial institutions into doing business with Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran.
The Vancouver court held a bail hearing on Meng Wanzhou's case on Friday, but did not make a ruling on the bail application. The bail hearing was scheduled to continue at 10:00 am local time on the 10th (2:00 am on the 11th in Singapore), so Meng Wanzhou continued to be detained.Detain.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng urgently summoned the Canadian ambassador to China on Saturday to make stern representations and strong protests against Canada's detention of the person in charge of Huawei, and demanded his immediate release.
Huawei issued a statement on Saturday emphasizing that Huawei has always complied with all export control regulations and sanctions.We will continue to focus on the bail hearing next week.We believe that the legal systems of Canada and the United States will give a fair conclusion in the future.
A bail hearing in the Meng Wanzhou case was held in the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver.Prosecutors argued in court on Friday that Huawei used an informal Hong Kong-based subsidiary, Skycom, to do business with Iran and conceal the relationship between the two companies.
Skycom records show Meng served as a director of the company from February 2008 to April 2009.The U.S. Department of Justice issued an arrest warrant for Meng Wanzhou in August this year on the grounds of suspected fraud.The 46-year-old Meng Wanzhou was arrested on the 1st of this month when she was transiting at Vancouver Airport.The Canadian government confirmed that the arrest was at the request of the United States.
Maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each charge
The prosecution objected to the court allowing the accused to be released on bail.If Meng is convicted in the United States, the maximum penalty for each charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, would be sufficient motivation to jump bail, prosecutors said.Prosecutors also specifically reminded the judge that China has no extradition treaty with either Canada or the United States.
Prosecutors said that Meng Wanzhou did not truthfully state the fact that Skycom and Huawei are the same company, misled US financial institutions, and showed that she was a dishonest person;Passport, she can easily abscond after paying bail, so she is opposed to letting her bail.
The prosecution also mentioned that Meng Wanzhou's father, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, is worth US$3.2 billion (about S$4.4 billion).
Meng Wanzhou's defense lawyer, Martin, countered that Meng Wanzhou's status as a celebrity would not violate her bail conditions because it would embarrass her father and even China as a whole.You can trust her, to her, absconding is tantamount to humiliating her beloved father.
He pointed out that Meng Wanzhou has many expired passports, and only two are currently valid.Once released on bail, Meng Wanzhou is willing to wear electronic shackles to accept home electronic monitoring, and hand over the two passports, namely the Chinese passport and the Hong Kong SAR passport that was seized by the Canadian government when she was arrested.
The lawyer also said that Meng Wanzhou has health problems such as high blood pressure and sleep apnea, and is not suitable for long-term detention. In addition, her husband is in Vancouver, so she will not abscond.
Washington is seeking to extradite Meng Wanzhou to the United States to stand trial.The extradition hearing will be held separately from the bail hearing.The U.S. has 60 days to file a formal request for extradition, and a Canadian court will review whether the charges against Meng Wanzhou are sufficient for extradition before Canada's justice minister decides whether to extradite.
