Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s defence team says case is based on U.S. sanctions

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers argued that her extradition hearing is based on U.S. sanctions against Iran, which they say don’t have a place in Canada.

Defence lawyer Richard Peck stated that it’s all based on sanctions that Canada has previously rejected.

“In the end, we’re being asked to impose on Canada an obligation to assist the U.S. in the enforcement of its sanctions — sanctions that we have expressly rejected,” Peck said in court, as reported by the CBC. He continued on to say that it would be considered a facade if anyone were to suggest otherwise.

“Canada is a sovereign nation. We have our own heritage, our own ethos, our own identity, our own standards, our own laws,” he said in court.

Meng currently faces extradition to the U.S. The hearing will focus on whether U.S. allegations are also a crime in Canada. It may take months or even years before a decision is reached. Meng will appear in court this entire week, and her defence team is expected to take about two days of court time, after which the Crown will present its arguments.

The crown is expected to argue that the conduct and essence of what happened is what is important in terms of a Canadian extradition, as opposed to matching offence laws in the U.S. and Canada.

Huawei Canada recently said that it trusts Canada’s judicial system, and that it believes the system will prove CFO Meng Wanzhou’s innocence.

Source: CBC