Canadian risks harsher sentence at China drug retrial

DALIAN, China: A Canadian man accused of drug smuggling in China appeared at a new trial yesterday after an upper court called for a harsher sentence in a case that could further strain ties between Beijing and Ottawa.

Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, was brought in handcuffs to a hearing in the northeast city of Dalian where he could potentially face the death penalty, weeks after his appeal of a 15-year prison sentence backfired.

Canadian embassy officials and three foreign journalists, including from AFP, were given rare access to his retrial, which comes against the backdrop of the Chinese government’s anger over the arrest in Canada of a top executive from telecom giant Huawei last month.

Chinese authorities have since detained two Canadian nationals – a former diplomat and a business consultant – on suspicion of endangering national security, a move seen as an act of retaliation over the Huawei executive’s arrest.

Schellenberg, who was reportedly detained in northeast Liaoning province in 2014, is accused of playing an important role in drug smuggling and of potential involvement in international organised crime.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and a 150,000 yuan (US$22,000) forfeiture in November. But following an appeal a high court in Liaoning ruled in December that the sentence was too lenient given the severity of his crimes. — AFP