Legal arguments in Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s extradition hearing could extend into early 2021.
Lawyers for both sides are going to be proposing a new schedule that would conclude hearings early next year, instead of this fall as originally planned.
The court dismissed the first phase of arguments from Meng’s lawyers last week. They had argued that Meng’s case should be dismissed because the allegations she is facing wouldn’t be a crime in Canada.
However, the court found that Meng Wanzhou’s case meets key factors of Canada’s extradition law, which means that the proceedings will continue on to the second phase in June.
“The double criminality requirement for extradition is capable of being met in this case. The effects of the U.S. sanctions may properly play a role in the double criminality analysis as part of the background context against which the alleged conduct is examined,” Justice Holmes stated in the 23-page ruling.
In response to the ruling, Huawei released a statement saying it is disappointed, but that it has repeatedly expressed confidence in Meng’s innocence and that “Canada’s judicial system will ultimately prove Ms. Meng’s innocence.”
It’s been more than a year since Vancouver authorities arrested Meng in December 2018 at the request of the U.S. for violating sanctions in Iran. Meng has since resided in one of her two mansions located in Vancouver under partial house arrest.
Even if hearings are expected to conclude early next year, Meng’s extradition proceedings could take years due to appeals.
Source: The Canadian Press
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