Huawei Technologies’ finance manager Meng Wanzhou latest situation

Huawei Technologies’ chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers argued Monday that allegations of conspiracy and fraud against the United States are only “China’s concern” and not related to the United States.

They said that extraditing Meng from Canada would undermine China’s sovereignty in international law.

Defense attorney Gib van Ert, referring to allegations that Meng lied to the HSBC bank in a 2013 presentation about the activities of a Huawei subsidiary in Iran – the basis for the US prosecution and extradition request – said the meeting was held in China and should not concern the United. States or Canada.

“If any law was broken that day, this is the concern of China where things happened,” van Ert, a new member of Meng’s legal team, told a Canadian court.

“What happened in a Hong Kong restaurant between a Chinese citizen and an Anglo-Chinese bank on August 22, 2013 – according to international law – does not concern the United States.”

The newest line of attack in Meng’s bid to avoid extradition to the United States came just a week after Ottawa and Washington imposed economic sanctions on top Chinese government officials and escalated the already rising international tensions.

The US alleges that Meng misled HSBC by distancing Huawei Technologies from its subsidiary Skycom regarding its activities in Iran in violation of US sanctions.

Meng and Huawei deny any crime.

Van Ert also said that Meng was suffering from the “personal and real” consequences of “being stranded in a foreign country”, and the Canadian judge warned that if he sent Meng to the United States, it would drive Canada into violations of American international law.

“For Ms. Meng, the consequences of this violation are personal and real,” said Van Ert. “He spent two years of his life stranded in a foreign country far from his home, friends and ordinary life.

“The only thing that is done is a fairly blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international law; if Canada helps to extradite Ms. Meng to the United States, she will violate international law.”

Since his arrest in December 2018, Meng has been under surveillance at his $ 11 million Vancouver mansion and receives a nightly curfew.

Canada’s attorney general responded to allegations of violations of international law by filing a lawsuit.

“Questions about the jurisdiction of a requesting state are primarily for foreign state courts,” Canadian lawyers wrote in the courts of February 24th. “The applicant cannot prove that there is abuse.”

The Chinese foreign ministry itself retaliated against Canadian officials, attacking Canada’s sanctions.

“The Chinese government is committed to protecting its national sovereignty, security and development interests,” a Chinese spokesperson said on March 22.

Earlier this month, China held hearings for two Canadians imprisoned days after Meng’s arrest, which plunged diplomatic relations into crisis.

source: dailymail