Protection tells Canada court docket that Huawei CFO’s arrest was authorized, however not her detainment By Reuters 

By Moira Warburton and Sarah Berman

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Huawei Chief Monetary Officer Meng Wanzhou’s arrest was legitimate, however her ongoing detainment is illegitimate, protection legal professionals instructed a Canadian court docket on Wednesday, in a slight deviation from China’s official stance on the case.

Meng, 49, was arrested in December 2018 at Vancouver Worldwide Airport on a warrant from the US, the place she faces fees of financial institution fraud for allegedly deceptive HSBC about Huawei Applied sciences Co Ltd’s enterprise dealings in Iran.

She maintains her innocence and is preventing extradition whereas beneath home arrest in Vancouver.

Huawei legal professionals have argued that Meng’s actions have been to date faraway from the US that the nation has no reputable jurisdiction over them.

Prosecutors representing the Canadian authorities have argued in court docket that Canada had no selection however to arrest Meng beneath treaty obligations to the US, on condition that there was an excellent warrant for her arrest.

Protection lawyer Gib van Ert stated on Wednesday that he agreed Canada needed to arrest Meng, “having acquired what was, on its face, a bona fide extradition request.”

However he stated her continued detainment was unlawful.

“There’s nothing about it that’s an arbitrary detention, however … it’s now revealed to be an illegal detention,” van Ert stated, pointing to the protection allegation that the US broke worldwide legislation by requesting her arrest.

China has stated that it considers Meng’s arrest and attainable extradition unlawful. Within the aftermath of her being detained, China arrested two Canadians on fees of espionage, which Canada has stated it sees as retaliation.

Meng’s case is about to conclude in Could.