Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers say attorney general’s argument is ‘circular’

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers say that extraditing Meng to the U.S. based on American sanctions against Iran would set a dangerous precedent.

Court documents released on January 17th reveal that Meng’s lawyers believe that extraditing her could potentially undermine Canada’s policy towards Iran, as reported by Reuters.

Meng’s hearing will focus on whether U.S. allegations are also a crime in Canada. If the judge believes that they aren’t a crime in Canada, she would be free to leave the country but would have to avoid the U.S.

Canada’s attorney general said that Meng was being extradited because she fraudulently mislead HSBC, and that U.S. sanctions should be considered as contributing to the fraud that took place, and not as the reason for the extradition.

Meng’s team has said that the attorney general’s argument is circular because prosecutors relied on U.S. sanctions.

They write that letting the attorney general to use U.S. sanctions sets a dangerous precedent because it would “interfere with the (Canadian) government’s prerogative in foreign affairs … In a democratic society, important public policy choices are best made in the elected legislative assembly rather than by judicial actors.”

Meng’s extradition hearing is set to begin on January 20th, but it could take months or even years before a decision is made.

Source: Reuters