VANCOUVER, British Columbia: A Canadian judge has granted Huawei executive Meng Wanzhous request to delay the final leg in her extradition hearings, days before they were set to begin.
British Columbia Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes said Wednesday she will deliver reasons for her decision in writing in the next week or so and a date to resume proceedings will be determined later.
Meng, who was detained in Canada in 2018 at the behest of U.S. authorities, has been fighting a legal battle over the last two years as the U.S. seeks to extradite her over allegations of bank fraud and violations of sanctions against Iran.
The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It says Meng committed fraud by misleading HSBC about the companys business dealings in Iran.
The hearings were scheduled to begin Monday but Mengs lawyers said they needed more time to review documents related to the case obtained through a Hong Kong court. Huawei said this week that it has reached an agreement with HSBC in Hong Kong to obtain documents Meng hopes will help prevent her extradition to the U.S.
Her lawyers asked Holmes on Monday to adjourn proceedings until Aug. 3, a delay they argued would also allow time for a third wave of COVID-19 to subside in British Columbia.
Lawyers for Canadas attorney general had argued theres no justification to delay proceedings in the high-profile case, especially given the public interest.
Meng was arrested at Vancouvers airport in 2018 at the request of the United States to face fraud charges related to Americas sanctions against Iran, which both she and Huawei deny.
A teleconference has been scheduled with both legal teams for April 28 to determine a new date, which Holmes said should be on or around Aug. 3.
Final hearings of Mengs extradition battle are expected to conclude then, although appeals could prolong the process for years.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Telegram.
Comments
0 comment