1 of 4 | Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou wearing a GPS tracker and ankle bracelet is escorted by court-appointed security as she leaves one of her two multi-million dollar houses for BC Supreme Court in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), May 8, 2019. Photo by Heinz Ruckemann/UPI |
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May 8 (UPI) -- The defense team for Huawei Technologies CO.'s chief financial officer delayed formal extradition proceedings Wednesday, saying the Canadian government is withholding evidence concerning her arrest last year at Vancouver International Airport.
Meng Wanzhou's arrest Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities on a slew of fraud charges may have violated her constitutional rights, her lawyers argued in a B.C. Supreme Court while saying they are seeking further disclosure of documents concerning her arrest, The The Globe and Mail reported.
In outlining their defense in the pretrial hearing, her lawyers said she is the victim of an abuse of power as the charges she faces in the United States don't exist in Canada and citing statements by President Donald Trump suggesting he could intervene in the proceedings.
On the day Meng's bail was set in mid-December, Trump said he would interview in Meng's extradition if he thought it was necessary.
One of her lawyers, Scott Fenton, said his statements were "intimidating and corrosive of the rule of law" and should disqualify her from extradition, The New York Times reported.
Her lawyers said they would seek a stay to the U.S. extradition.
No date was set, but Meng's lawyers were able to delay extradition proceedings to September when it will be determined if the prosecution needs to disclose more evidence to the defense.
Meng's lawyers also secured approval in the hearing to modify her bail terms, allowing her to move from one of her multi-million-dollar properties in Vancouver to another, Bloomberg reported.
Since her bail, she has been under house arrest in her $3.7-million, six-bedroom property, but the Supreme Court approved her request to move to her $10-million estate in one of Vancouver's poshest neighborhods.
The move would diminish security issues as the other residence is larger and enclosed.
"The existing home is a corner lot, exposed on three sides, there isn't clarity between public and private portions," lawyer Davide Martin told the court. "Currently, large numbers of people go there, sometimes approach the house."
Her next court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 23.
Meng faces 13 criminal charges in the United States, including conspiracy, fraud and sanction violation charges.
Her arrest ratcheted up tensions between Canada and China, with the Asian country calling Canada's move to extradite her "a severe political incident" while arresting two high-profile Canadians who do business in China in the wake of her arrest.
Canadian diplomat Micheal Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor were separately arrested Dec. 10 on suspicion of espionage, charges that have been widely seen as retribution for Meng's arrest.
Meng lodged a suit March 1, the day Canada said it would allow for her to be extradited, against Canada alleging she was denied her rights during her arrest.
