Huawei executive bailed, company confident of a just legal conclusion
A CANADIAN court has released Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, on bail after she had been detained for 10 days at the request of authorities in the United States.
There was applause in the Vancouver courtroom when the decision was announced and Meng cried and hugged her lawyers.
“I have returned to my family in Vancouver,” Meng wrote on WeChat. “I am proud of Huawei and my country. Thanks to everyone who cares for me.”
Meng also posted a picture of a ballet dancer’s feet showing “pain behind the greatness,” an image previously used in a marketing campaign by Huawei, the global telecommunications giant based in Shenzhen.
In an official statement Huawei said: “We have every confidence that the Canadian and United States legal systems will reach a just conclusion in the following proceedings.
“As we have stressed all along, Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where we operate, including export control and sanction laws of the UN, US and EU.”
Canada’s detention of Meng earlier this month has sparked worldwide attention and drawn strong criticism from China. China has previously lodged solemn representations with Canada and the United States, urging them to clarify the reason for Meng’s detention, immediately release her and effectively protect her legitimate rights and interests.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Meng’s detention had been “a mistake from the start.”
“We have already made clear our position to the United States and Canada, which should immediately correct their mistake and release Meng Wanzhou,” he earlier said.
“Any person, especially if he is a leader of the United States, or a high-level figure, who is willing to make positive efforts to push this situation toward the correct direction, then that, of course, deserves to be well received.”
After three days of hearings, British Columbia Justice William Ehrcke granted bail of C$10 million (US$7.5 million) for Meng. However, she is required to stay in Vancouver and be subject to surveillance by a combination of security guards and technology.
Meng left the courthouse surrounded by a security detail and was driven away in a black SUV.
“The risk of (Meng’s) non-attendance in court can be reduced to an acceptable level by imposing the bail conditions proposed by her counsel,” Justice Ehrcke said.
Canada’s justice minister must next decide whether to extradite her to the United States where she would face charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions, with a maximum sentence of 30 years on each charge.
Meng denied any accusation from the United States during the hearings in Vancouver.
US President Donald Trump said that he would intervene in the case against Meng if it would serve national security interests or help close a trade deal with China.
Meng was ordered to return to court on February 6.
Meanwhile, the International Crisis Group think tank said its North East Asia senior adviser, former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, was detained by China on Monday.
Lu, the foreign ministry spokesman, said ICG was not legally registered in China and its employees would be in violation of the law if they engaged in activities in the country.
Lu did not offer any further details about the case.