Chinese tech exec victim of U.S. spite, lawyer says
Judge in Vancouver to decide on bail for Huawei official
VANCOUVER — The United States is showing its hostility toward Chinese tech giant Huawei by speculating one of its senior executives has avoided travelling there to dodge charges, a lawyer arguing for her release on bail said Monday.
B.C. Supreme Court has heard Meng Wanzhou, 46, has not visited the U.S. since March 2017, but David Martin dismissed the relevance of that evidence at a bail hearing.
“It would take somebody who’s utterly tone deaf to not understand that the United States has a political, legal posture of adversity against both China and its leading company,” Martin told a packed courtroom where Meng, dressed in a green track suit, sat in the prisoner’s box beside an interpreter.
The hearing is scheduled to resume today.
The United States wants Meng, Huawei’s chief financial officer, to face allegations of fraud related to the use of its subsidiary Skycom to do business with Iranian telecommunications companies between 2009 and 2014.
Justice William Ehrcke said Meng is being held on a provisional warrant and the United States has 60 days to make an extradition request.
Martin told Ehrcke that Meng’s husband, Xiaozong Liu, would pledge a total of $15 million — the value of two houses in Vancouver, plus $1 million cash — and live with her to ensure she complies with conditions imposed by the court if she is released on bail.
Ehrcke questioned whether Meng’s husband can provide a surety because he is visiting Canada on a six-month visa and the form to provide the financial guarantee says it must be provided by a resident of B.C. The judge invited Martin to do more research and give him a “legal foundation” on which to go on.
Martin proposed surveillance of Meng by former police officers who work for a security company or through an ankle bracelet that has been used by another firm in more than 500 cases. He also suggested his client could be supervised by both companies in what he said would be an unprecedented arrangement, telling the court Meng would pay for it.
He said the evidence in support of the United States’ allegations against his client is “far from overwhelming.”
“If extradited, she will vigorously contest the charges against her in the United States in order to clear her good name,” he said, adding any attempt by Meng to escape would be an embarrassment to China and her family.
“She would never embarrass her father and the enormous company she has worked to build by her father.”
Huawei was founded by Meng’s father, Ren Zhengfei. The company has projected 2018 sales of more than $102 billion US and has overtaken Apple in smartphone sales.
John Gibb-Carley, a federal prosecutor representing the Attorney General of Canada, urged the judge to deny Meng’s request for bail, saying she has the financial means to flee and has no connection to Vancouver, where she spends only two to three weeks a year.
Gibb-Carley said Meng’s permanent resident card expired nine years ago. Her B.C. identification card expired 12 years ago and none of her references lives in Canada.
He also said Meng’s husband would be an inadequate surety.
“If Ms. Meng was to flee, was to abscond, Mr. Liu would not be left behind here,” he said.
Gibb-Carley also proposed $7.5 million in cash as security, along with $7.5 million in property, which Martin said his client could provide.
News of Meng’s arrest last week shook world stock markets.
Canadian authorities arrested the high-profile technology executive while she was travelling through Vancouver’s airport on Dec. 1.
The bail hearing began Friday with Gibb-Carsley outlining the allegations.
According to court documents filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Meng faces “multiple criminal charges” in the United States.
Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.