Judge OKs Meng's request for delay

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has granted Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's request to delay the final leg in her extradition hearings, days before they were set to begin.

Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes said Wednesday she'll deliver reasons for her decision in writing in the next week or so, and a date to resume proceedings will be determined April 28.

The hearings were scheduled to begin Monday, but Meng's lawyers said they needed more time to review documents related to the case that were obtained through a Hong Kong court. They asked Holmes to adjourn proceedings until Aug. 3, a delay they argued would also allow time for the third wave of COVID-19 to subside.

Lawyer Richard Peck has said he believes the new documents will contain evidence supporting their argument that United States officials misled Canadian officials in describing the allegations against Meng.

The legal team was set to launch that argument Monday in support of a stay of proceedings before moving into arguments for the extradition hearing, the final step in the case. “What we request is a reasonable time in which to assess the documents and determine their likely admissibility,” Peck said.

Lawyers for Canada's Attorney-General had argued there is no justification to delay proceedings in the high-profile case. There's no basis to believe the documents will be relevant, they argued, while accusing Meng's team of trying to turn the extradition hearing into a trial.

Meng was arrested at the Vancouver International in 2018 at the request of the U.S. to face fraud charges related to America's sanctions against Iran.