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Huawei Says Filed Application With Canadian Court to Stop CFO Extradition - Report

Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, 47, daughter of the tech giant's founder, was arrested by Canadian authorities on 1 December 2018, in Vancouver at Washington's request, allegedly on suspicions of failing to comply with US sanctions against Iran.
Sputnik

Huawei has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and insisted Meng has done nothing illegal.

A spokesman for the Chinese-based tech giant said that Huawei filed an application with a Canadian court to halt Meng's extradition to the US, Reuters reported.

The application was filed on 13 November, saying that attempts to extradite Meng cannot meet the standard of double criminality stipulated in Canada's extradition law.

According to the Canadian legislature, double criminality is a guiding principle of Canadian extradition laws, which means that for a person to be sent to face trial abroad, the offense they are accused of must be recognized as a crime in both countries.

According to earlier reports, the extradition hearings are scheduled to begin on 20 January 2020. Meng is currently free on bail, under conditions that reportedly include wearing an electronic tracking device and spending overnight periods at her pricey home in Vancouver.

The Chinese company has been accused by the United States, as well as a number of other countries, of stealing commercial information to benefit the current government in Beijing. Washington also claimed that it suspected Huawei of working for the government of China, a US adversary and a country engaged in a major trade spat with Washington.

Huawei dismissed allegations regarding its cooperation with authorities and pleaded not guilty to trade secret theft charges.

Chinese-Canadian relations were further strained following the detention in China of two Canadian citizens, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, shortly after Meng's arrest. While the detentions have been widely regarded as Beijing's retaliation for the arrest of the Huawei executive, Chinese authorities insist that the two men pose a threat to national security.

 

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