Meng extradition adjourned to May

VANCOUVER • A request by the United States to extradite the chief financial officer of China’s Huawei Technologies raises serious concerns about political motivations and will take time to unfold, a defence lawyer says.

Meng Wanzhou was arrested in December at Vancouver airport at the request of U.S. authorities, sparking outrage from China. Canada announced last week it intends to proceed with the extradition case.

“This is a rare case in the extradition context, if not unique,” Richard Peck told a judge in British Columbia Supreme Court on Wednesday. “There are serious concerns of a legal and factual nature that arise, concerns not common in the extradition jurisprudence

“There are concerns involving the political character of the motivations, com- ments by the U.S. president ... There are issues arising out of the treatment of Ms. Meng on her arrival at the Vancouver International Airport and her detention and subsequent arrest.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he’d intervene in the case if it would help secure a trade deal with Beijing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has maintained Canada is following the rule of law.

Meng’s defence team has also filed a lawsuit against members of the Canada Border Services Agency, the federal government and the RCMP, accusing officers of violating her rights by detaining and questioning her for three hours before she was notified of her arrest. No statements of defence have been filed in the lawsuit and none of the allegations has been tested in court.

Peck told the judge it will take time to properly develop all the issues involved in the “complex” case. The defence and Crown agreed to put it over until May 8.

Abuse of process motions will likely be brought and the defence has also filed access to information requests with the border services agency and the RCMP, Peck said. Both agencies have missed deadlines to provide information, he added.

DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who is out on bail and under partial house arrest after she was detained Dec. 1 at the behest of U.S. authorities, leaves her home to attend court Wednesday in Vancouver.