fbpx
Business

Key decision in Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s extradition trial to be revealed on May 27

It will determine if Meng's extradition proceedings will continue or if she will be free to leave the country

The Supreme Court of British Columbia is going to release a key decision regarding Huawei’s chief financial officer’s extradition trial on May 27th.

If the court finds that Meng’s case meets Canada’s extradition law, her extradition proceedings will continue with the second phase. However, if it is determined that her case doesn’t meet key thresholds of extradition law, she would be free to leave the country.

The ruling on Wednesday will essentially focus on whether Meng’s alleged crime would have also been considered a crime in Canada.

Huawei Canada has previously said that it trusts Canada’s judicial system, and that it believes the system will prove Meng’s innocence.

It’s been more than a year since Vancouver authorities arrested Meng in December 2018 at the request of the United States for violating sanctions in Iran. Following the arrest, China detained two Canadians and halted billions of dollars of Canadian imports.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently replied to comments from the Chinese ambassador, stating that the extradition case was “the biggest thorn” in the relationship between the two countries. Trudeau stated that the courts will govern the case without any interference.

“Canada has an independent judicial system that functions without interference or override by politicians. China doesn’t work quite the same way and doesn’t seem to understand that we do have an independent judiciary,” he told reporters last week.

Meng likely has a slim chance of avoiding the second phase of her extradition proceedings. Historically, Canada has only discharged one percent of the U.S. extradition requests it has received since 2008.

However, Meng may believe otherwise. Over the weekend, she was seen posing for pictures on the B.C. court steps in what appeared like a celebratory photo shoot joined by her friends and family.

Regardless of the outcome, the decision that is made tomorrow will impact Canada’s relationship with China and Huawei. If the ruling finds that her case meets key factors of Canada’s extradition law, the proceedings will continue in June, and could then last for years due to appeals.

Via: Bloomberg

Related Articles

Comments