B.C. judge won’t relax Meng’s bail conditions
VANCOUVER — A British Columbia Supreme Court judge refused to ease Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou’s bail conditions Friday, saying the current restrictions are the minimum required to ensure she does not flee Canada.
Justice William Ehrcke dismissed Meng’s application for changes to her bail conditions, which would have allowed her to leave her Vancouver home outside the hours of her overnight curfew without the presence of security.
Meng’s husband testified earlier this month that she has underlying health conditions and he believes his wife is at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 because of her proximity to her private security detail.
However, unlike people incarcerated in close quarters, Ehrcke said Meng may self-isolate at home if she chooses, except when required in court.
“While at her residence, the current bail conditions do not pose any increased risk from COVID-19,” he said.
Meng doesn’t live a great distance from the Vancouver courthouse, he added, and members of her security team have been required to wear masks since Nov. 19, after B.C. updated its ongoing public health rules.
Meng, a Chinese citizen, is wanted in the United States on fraud charges based on allegations both she and the company deny.
She is fighting the extradition and her lawyers argue she has been subjected to an abuse of process and should be freed. She was arrested at Vancouver’s airport on the American warrant on Dec. 1, 2018, and the judge released her on $10-million bail days later.