Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou To Fight US Extradition At Canadian Court

Huawei CFO, Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Vancouver last year, headed to the Canadian court to fight the US extradition. Wanzhou, who is the elder daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, is wanted by US authorities for alleged fraud. The arrest led to a massive breakdown in Canada-China relations and further escalated in the US-China trade war.

Huawei CFO Fights US Extradition

The US had linked Wanzhou of lying to HSBC about Huawei's relationship with Iran-based Skycom, which risks the violation of US sanctions against Tehran. The Huawei CFO, who has been put on bail, has denied these allegations. Now, she will need to convince a Canadian judge that these allegations wouldn't stand up in Canada.

On the other hand, the Canadian justice department argues that Wanzhou's extradition and US' accusations against her would be considered a crime in Canada if it happened on Canadian soil. This is a key test known as double criminality.

The Canadian court documents allege that Huawei controlled the operations of Skycom in Iran. The Skycom staff was using Huawei email accounts, security badges, and all bank accounts linked with Huawei, reports AFP. Back in 2013, Meng had told HSBC executives that Huawei no longer owned Skycom and that she had resigned from the board.

What About Huawei?

Huawei has grown to be one of the most well-established technology firms in the world. After the arrest, founder Zhengfei had suggested that the case was part of the US plot to stunt Huawei, which is considered as a security risk.

Moreover, Huawei is one of the biggest global suppliers of network gear for smartphones and internet companies. The US has been warning other countries to ban Huawei gadgets for their governmental and official purposes. Huawei has been alleged of surveillance and theft of sensitive data by the US and has warned against its deployment.