Meng Wanzhou’s extradition hearing is set to begin on January 20th following her arrest in December 2018, which soured Canada-China relations.
It’s been more than a year since the RCMP arrested the Huawei CFO in Vancouver after a request from the United States, which is seeking her extradition on fraud charges. Wanzhou has accused Canadian authorities of violating her rights during her arrest.
Wanzhou is currently on bail and is living in one of her two homes in Vancouver. The hearing will focus on whether U.S. allegations are also a crime in Canada. If the judge believes that they aren’t a crime in Canada, she would be free to leave Canada but would have to avoid the U.S.
However, if the judge decides that the allegations are also a crime in Canada, the hearing will proceed to a second phase, which would take place in June.
Extradition lawyer Gary Bottling, told The Canadian Press that Justice Minister David Lametti has the legal authority to stop the process at anytime.
“It’s really silliness for him to say he has to obey the rule of law because it’s before the courts. No. What [the law] says is that he can stop the whole process, and the courts must comply with whatever he decides,” told The Canadian Press.
Bottling also says that the entire situation could have been avoided if former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould had declined the request from the U.S. asking Canadian authorities to arrest Wanzhou.
Source: The Canadian Press (CBC)
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