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VANCOUVER / TORONTO: Attorneys for Huawei Technologies Co Ltd resumed witness testimony in a Vancouver court on Tuesday, asking why aspects of the arrest of Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou did not set off “red flags” for federal police officers. arrest.
Huawei’s legal team took the floor on the second day of the hearings at the British Columbia Supreme Court, where Meng is fighting extradition to the United States.
The five days of scheduled hearings will focus on his attorneys’ allegations of abuses of the process committed by Canadian and U.S. authorities during his December 2018 arrest at Vancouver International Airport.
Meng, 48, faces charges in the United States of bank fraud for allegedly misleading HSBC about Huawei’s business in Iran, causing the bank to violate US sanctions laws.
In the afternoon court session, Meng’s attorney Richard Peck focused on the affidavit signed by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Agent Winston Yep the day before Meng’s arrest, which included swear Meng had no ties to Canada.
The affidavit confirmed the reason and circumstances for requesting Meng’s arrest, for a judge to issue a warrant.
However, later that day, officials with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told Yep that Meng owned two homes in Vancouver.
Peck asked if this contradiction with the content of the affidavit triggered any “alarm” in Yep’s head, and if he approached a colleague or official from the federal Department of Justice to try to make a change to the affidavit.
“That didn’t cross my mind,” Yep said. “I read (the affidavit) … but I can’t explain why it didn’t cross my mind.”
Peck’s questions are based on topics from Monday, striving to highlight the lapses of due process during Meng’s arrest. She was interrogated for three hours by CBSA officers without legal representation and her electronic devices were seized before RCMP officers arrested her, according to court documents.
Meng has asserted his innocence but remains under house arrest at his Vancouver home, located in an exclusive neighborhood in the Pacific coastal city, during the trial.
On Tuesday morning, Peck reviewed a series of text messages and emails that Yep sent and received before arresting Meng, as well as the notes Yep took during the day in his notebook.
Specifically, he presented Yep with an email where the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told the RCMP that “the best way to ensure that CBSA intervenes” is to know Meng’s name and details of the flight. before your arrival.
Meng’s attorneys have previously alleged that Canadian authorities improperly communicated with their American counterparts during their arrest, including exchanging identifying details about their electronic devices.
Canada has denied this and provided affidavits from members of the RCMP who were involved in Meng’s arrest.
Meng arrived at court on Tuesday, accompanied by her translator. He spoke with Chinese consular officials before sitting down in the courtroom.
Meng’s attorneys have argued that Canadian and US authorities made this decision because CBSA officers have special privileges to search and investigate people crossing the borders of Canada.
Meng’s arrest caused a continuous cooling in diplomatic relations between Ottawa and Beijing. Shortly after their arrest, China arrested Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig on espionage charges in what was seen as retaliation.
The trial is scheduled to conclude in April 2021, although the possibility of appeals means the case could drag on for years through the Canadian justice system.
– Reuters
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