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Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou pleads not guilty, could soon leave house arrest

Meng’s 2018 arrest over fraud charges affected Huawei's position in the Canadian tech market

Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou is pleading not guilty to multiple fraud charges levied against her by the United States government.

CBC News reported that multi-national Chinese tech company’s CFO has reached a “deferred prosecution agreement” with the U.S. — an arrangement in which a defendant is granted amnesty so long as they fulfill certain requirements.

In December 2018, Meng was detained by police at Vancouver International Airport after the U.S. government issued a warrant for her arrest over multiple fraud offences, including wire and bank fraud.

According to the CBC, the agreement reached today means Meng will likely soon be able to leave house arrest, where she’s been stuck — albeit in a spacious $5.6-million six-bedroom Vancouver home — since 2018, due to the U.S.’s extradition request.

The case against Meng has dragged out for years, with Meng’s lawyers arguing in 2020 that her arrest was unlawful, and the judge denying her legal team’s attempts to submit new evidence in 2021.

A document from Public Safety Canada that resurfaced in June 2021, thanks to an access to information request, added more fuel to the fire.

The government report claimed that cyberattacks carried out on Huawei devices in Canada had increased following Meng’s arrest.

Source: CBC News

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