The review of the interviews conducted with Meng Wanzhou, during her detention in Canada, opened a new avenue for the defense of Huawei's chief financial officer, who has been charged (along with the technology company) with of at least 24 charges filed by the United Statesincluding fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice, in connection with an alleged scheme to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran.
In September, Wanzhou's lawyers requested access to documents from the arrest record The initial arrest of his client at the airport in Vancouver (Canada) in December 2018, following the extradition order issued by the United States. As part of the arguments presented recently, the defense assures that the government of President Donald Trump is using the case for economic and political gains, in the face of the conflict it maintains with China.
Evidence currently being investigated suggests that when Meng was questioned at the time of arrest On the Chinese giant's business dealings with Iran, the Huawei director denied having information on whether the brand's products were marketed in countries where it was forbidden to do so and mentioned that the company has an office in Iran. These statements could pave the way for the extradition to be reversed, as they support the thesis that suggests that the defendant was misled about the purpose of her detention, violating her fundamental right to be informed about the specific facts that generated her detention, which generated a clear violation of her right to defense.
Meng Wanzhou's defense arguments
So far, Meng and her lawyers have denied all charges brought against them. against her and Huawei. The new defense key involves a civil lawsuit which is a different court proceeding than the extradition. However, the two are related and will focus on the reasons that led to Meng's arrest.
The extradition hearing is scheduled to begin in January of next year, 2020.. Meanwhile, relations between Canada and China seem to be getting more complicated by the day. The Chinese government blocked imports of canola seed, pork and beef from Canada. Similarly, two Canadians accused of drug trafficking were sentenced to death when they were arrested in China two days after the arrest of the technology company's CFO.
In August of this year, the U.S. and China had called a truce after the two leaders met at the G20 Summit. At that time they had agreed to resume the stalled trade negotiations, which meant that US companies could resume selling Huawei parts and equipment.
