Huawei executive facing US extradition offers to pay for her own surveillance
The chief financial officer of Huawei has offered to pay for a surveillance company to ensure she does not flee Canada while awaiting a decision on whether she will be extradited to the US, a court in Vancouver heard on Monday.
Meng Wanzhou, 46, is facing extradition from Canada to the US on charges of conspiracy to defraud banks after the Chinese telecoms giant allegedly skirted sanctions on Iran.
Lawyers for Ms Meng are arguing for her to be granted bail while she awaits a decision on whether she will be extradited to the US, saying that she is not a flight risk.
The surveillance company should given the power to arrest Ms Weng if she breaches bail conditions, her lawyer David Martin said in court on the second day of the hearing on Monday.
The judge weighing the decision on whether to grant her bail cast doubt on whether Ms Meng’s husband can act as a surety, as suggested by her lawyer, as he is not a resident of British Columbia and is currently in Canada on a visitors visa.
An application is being heard in the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver. Ms Meng, whose father founded the telecommunications giant, maintains her innocence and says she will contest them at trial in the US if she is surrendered.
In court documents released at the weekend, Ms Meng's lawyer said she should be granted bail because of her substantial ties to Vancouver, where she owns two multi-million dollar houses, and multiple health problems.
Ms Meng, a Chinese citizen, has suffered from health issues including thyroid cancer, hypertension and surgery on her jaw and throat which has left unable to eat solid foods, the documents say.
She has owned homes in Vancouver since 2009, and has offered to put up her two multi-million-dollar properties as collateral for bail plus an additional C$1m (£600,000).
The US alleges that Huawei used a subsidiary called Skycom to do business with Iran, breaking sanctions in place against the country.
Lawyers for Ms Meng says that the evidence presented in court on Friday does not prove that the executive broke either US or Canadian law.
Ms Meng was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 on a connecting flight from Hong Kong to Mexico.
The case is the latest chapter in an ongoing trade war between China and the US. On Sunday, the Chinese government said it summoned the American ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, to protest Ms Meng’s arrest.
Court was adjourned on Monday, without the presiding judge reaching a decision on whether bail will granted, and will resume for a third day on Tuesday.
