who is meng wanzhou's lawyer

by Tyson Pfeffer I 7 min read

Frank Addario, another of Meng's lawyers, said that the United States record of the case, upon which Canada relied to arrest Meng, contains “zero evidence” that either Skycom or Huawei violated sanctions.Aug 13, 2021

Full Answer

Who is Meng Wanzhou and why is she in court?

Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou heads to B.C. Supreme Court where she is fighting extradition to the United States on fraud and conspiracy charges. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

Is there a'narrative of abuse'by Meng Wanzhou's lawyer?

^ "Canada lawyer rejects 'narrative of abuse' by Meng Wanzhou's legal team, saying timing of arrest demanded 'discretion' ". South China Morning Post.

Who is Meng Wanzhou's Lawyer Van Ert?

Van Ert is a new face on Meng's vast legal team. According to his website, he is a frequently cited authority on the application of international law in Canadian courts and a former executive legal officer at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Who is Huawei's Meng Wanzhou?

However, Ren has denied such claims, telling Sina Tech that "none of my family members possess [suitable] qualities" and "will never be included in the sequence of successors." As of December 2018, Meng is the deputy chairwoman and CFO of Huawei, China's largest privately held company, with 180,000 employees.

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Did Meng break Canadian law?

The allegations were rejected by Meng's defence lawyer, who claimed she did not break any U.S. or Canadian laws and that the US had deliberately omitted key information on two PowerPoint slides that had showed that Meng was upfront to HSBC about the true nature of Skycom/Huawei relationship.

Did Meng plead guilty?

On Friday afternoon, Meng pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors submitted a statement of facts (pdf) asserting that in 2013 she told financial institutions the Iranian company Skycom was a partner of Huawei while knowing that Skycom was owned and controlled by a Huawei subsidiary to act as its agent in the region.

Is Meng still in jail?

In August this year a Chinese court sentenced Mr Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage. There had been no decision in Mr Kovrig's case. On Friday, a Canadian judge ordered the release of Ms Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, after she reached a deal with US prosecutors over fraud charges against her.

What law did Huawei break?

Moreover, between 2010 and 2014, Huawei caused Skycom to conduct approximately $100 million worth of U.S.-dollar transactions through Financial Institution 1 that cleared through the United States, at least some of which supported its work in Iran in violation of U.S. law, including $7.5 million for Iran-based ...

What happen to Meng Wanzhou?

After days of hearings, Meng walks out of the B.C. Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver on the evening of Dec. 11, 2018. She is released on $10 million bail while awaiting possible extradition to the United States on fraud charges.

Has Canada Meng left?

A day before Mr Kovrig's return, a deal with US prosecutors allowed Ms Meng to leave Canada, and she returned home where, wearing a bright red dress, she received a hero's welcome.

Did Meng get extradited?

Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou will not be extradited to the United States, a B.C. court decided today after Meng reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. government. The deal with U.S. prosecutors resolved the fraud charges against the Huawei executive.

Is Meng Wanzhou still in Vancouver?

Meng currently lives in a mansion valued at about $14 million Canadian dollars, about $11 million U.S. dollars, in Vancouver's exclusive Shaughnessy neighborhood. She is allowed to move relatively freely in Vancouver; before the pandemic, she attended a concert by a Chinese singer.

Why was Meng Wanzhou freed?

Chinese telecoms executive Meng Wanzhou was freed after three years of house arrest in Canada, following an agreement with the US justice department to suspend the fraud charges against her that had poisoned Beijing's relations with Washington and Ottawa.

Who was Meng?

Meng is the chief financial officer of the Chinese tech giant Huawei and the eldest daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei. Ms. Meng (pronounced “MUNG”), who also uses the names Sabrina and Cathy, was born in the western city of Chengdu.

What is the Crown saying about van Ert?

In a filed response, the Crown says the issues van Ert is raising should be argued before a trial judge if Meng is rendered to New York to face the charges against her.

What is customary international law?

"The fact that customary international law is part of our common law means that it must be treated with the same respect as any other law.".

Where is Meng Wanzhou?

wants to extradite the 49-year-old to New York, where she is charged with fraud and conspiracy in connection with alleged lies she told an HSBC executive in Hong Kong in 2013 about Huawei's control of a subsidiary accused of violating U.S. economic sanctions against Iran. Meng Wanzhou is accused of lying to an HSBC executive in Hong Kong.

Who is Huawei's chief financial officer?

Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou heads to B.C. Supreme Court where she is fighting extradition to the United States on fraud and conspiracy charges. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward) A lawyer for Meng Wanzhou says the U.S. threatens to make Canada complicit in an abuse of international law by using extradition proceedings ...

Why is Meng wanted?

Wanted for fraud and conspiracy. The U.S. wants Meng sent to New York to faces charge of fraud and conspiracy in relation to allegations she lied to an HSBC banker in Hong in 2013 about Huawei's control of a company accused of violating American economic sanctions against Iran.

What is the RCMP accused of?

The defence has accused the RCMP of recording technical information and serial numbers from her laptop, phones and tablet and passing it to the FBI, in violation of Canada's Extradition Act.

Is Meng being used as a political pawn?

Meng's lawyers also claim she is being used as a political pawn by U.S. President Donald Trump, and that the U.S. misrepresented crucial facts of the case against her in the initial set of documents used to justify her arrest for extradition.

Who is Huawei's chief financial officer?

Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou poses for pictures with friends on the steps of the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on May 23. She will be back in court this week fighting for information about an alleged conspiracy against her. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Is Meng under house arrest?

Meng, meanwhile, has been living under a form of house arrest since she was released on $10 million bail in December. She is required to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet as part of the terms of her release and is trailed around the clock by private security guards.

Where was Meng arrested?

Meng was arrested on a stopover at Vancouver’s international airport on December 1, 2018, at the request of US authorities who wanted her to face trial in New York on the bank fraud charges.

What is peculiar about Meng's case?

“What is peculiar about this case is that all risk is driven by legal risk … I’m not aware of any other [than this case], where the risk relies on legal risk [of prosecution or fines]. It is an extraordinary use of the instrument of fraud.”

Why was Meng Wanzhou arrested?

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police subsequently arrested her on a provisional U.S. extradition request for fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud in order to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran. On January 28, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice formally announced financial fraud charges against Meng. The first stage of the extradition hearing for Meng began Monday, January 20, 2020, and concluded on May 27, 2020, when the Supreme Court of British Columbia ordered the extradition to proceed.

What rights did Meng Wanzhou have?

The defence also argued that Meng Wanzhou's Section 8 rights protecting against unreasonable search and seizure were violated. During the three hour period of Meng's detainment, Meng's luggage was searched and her electronic devices as well as their passcodes were taken from her. The CBSA officer who took the pass codes to Meng's phones received a 17-second phone call minutes earlier which is not accounted for in the documents. According to an email from the RCMP, her luggage was only searched for immigration and customs purposes and the RCMP officers acted "lawfully and in good faith at all times." However, the notes show the RCMP asked the FBI if they were interested in Meng's luggage. Documents released also include a correspondence between Crown lawyer John Gibb-Carsley and defence lawyer David Martin stating that the U.S. no longer seeks the electronic devices seized from Meng. The RCMP and CBSA did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the documents. Defence lawyer Richard Peck cites an affidavit from the RCMP mentioning seizing "any electronic devices ... to preserve evidence as there will be a request from the FBI." According to Peck, law enforcement and the FBI made it a priority to seize devices, and this was done without question by Canada. The CBSA responded saying there was no evidence of this.

Why can't Meng be extradited to Canada?

Earlier in November, Meng's defence argued that Meng could not be extradited because her conduct was not illegal in Canada, since Canada did not have the same sanctions against Iran at the time Canadian officials authorized the extradition proceedings. According to the defence, this is "a case of U.S. sanctions enforcement masquerading as Canadian fraud," and not only are banks in Canada allowed to do business with Iran-based entities, they are encouraged to do so.

What was the process of detention of Meng Wanzhou?

Meng's defence team alleged that the process of detention of Meng Wanzhou was an unlawful conspiracy between the two agencies. Her defence team claimed that the RCMP and CBSA colluded to detain her under an immigration check without immediately informing her of her arrest, and subsequently arresting her three hours later, which amounted to a conspiracy. The defence claimed this manner of arrest was unlawful as the warrant called for her immediate arrest, and had violated Section 10 of the Charter requiring Meng to be immediately informed of her charges upon arrest. The defence argues that questions asked during the three hour period, which included her business dealings with Iran, and the CBSA officers omitting to take notes during certain sections of the questioning are evidence of a conspiracy and an unlawful arrest. The Crown Attorney responded that there was nothing unlawful or sinister about the customs detention for questioning and subsequent formal arrest, and that this process did not violate Section 10 rules.

What happened to Meng?

On December 1, 2018, while transferring planes at Vancouver International Airport en route to Mexico from Hong Kong, Meng was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) at the request of the United States, pursuant to the extradition treaty between Canada and the United States. On December 7, it was revealed that an arrest warrant had been issued on August 22, 2018 by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. According to Crown counsel in Canadian court, Meng was "charged with conspiracy to defraud multiple international institutions." The warrant was based on allegations that Wanzhou had cleared money that was claimed to be for Huawei, but was actually for Skycom, an entity claimed to be entirely controlled by Huawei, which was said to be dealing with Iran, contrary to sanctions. According to the defence lawyer, the bank involved in the dealings was HSBC. The allegations were rejected by Meng's defence lawyer, who claimed she did not break any U.S. or Canadian laws and that the US had deliberately omitted key information on two PowerPoint slides that had showed that Meng was upfront to HSBC about the true nature of Skycom/Huawei relationship. The Crown counsel said that the case against Meng stemmed from a 2013 Reuters report about the company's close ties to Hong Kong-based Skycom Tech, which attempted to sell U.S. equipment to Iran, despite U.S. and European Union bans.

Why can't Huawei share evidence with Meng?

with Meng. US prosecutors handling Meng's case said Huawei should not be allowed to share evidence with Meng Wanzhou because the evidence would be misused.

How many passports did Meng have?

From December 7 to 11, Meng attended a bail hearing in Vancouver. She was released on a $10 million bail that was granted with conditions, including electronic surveillance. She was required to hand over her passports, of which seven were listed in her court records. Of the seven, 4 were from China, and 3 were from Hong Kong. A further Chinese passport whose serial number begins with "P" was not listed but was later discovered; these passports are normally issued to employees of the Chinese government for travel related to public affairs.

What is the message on the Shenzhen skyscraper?

Downtown, Shenzhen's tallest skyscrapers lit up with the message: "Welcome home Meng Wanzhou!"

Why was Spavor sentenced to 11 years in prison?

And in August, just as Meng's extradition hearings entered their final stages in Vancouver, Spavor was sentenced to 11 years in prison for spying and illegally providing state secrets overseas. In the end, even their releases were timed just hours apart.

What was the US case against Meng?

The US case against Meng centered on whether she had misled banking giant HSBC about Huawei's relationship with an Iranian subsidiary, Skycom, which the US alleges could have put the bank at risk of sanctions violations.

What did Meng wear on the plane?

Wearing a red dress , Meng emerged from the plane without a face mask and waved to a crowd of more than 100 people waving Chinese flags and shouting "welcome home."

Why was Meng arrested?

Meng, who was wanted by US federal prosecutors for fraud charges related to alleged Iran sanction violations , was arrested in Vancouver in December 2018. Beijing has called it a political arrest by the former Trump administration, and repeatedly demanded she be released.

What did the crowd shout at Meng?

Inside the arrival hall, hundreds of people gathered to welcome Meng. Holding national flags, flowers and banners, the crowd erupted in national pride, shouting slogans including "long live the motherland" and belting out patriotic songs.

What was Meng's case?

The commentary called Meng's case an act of "political persecution" by the US to "crack down on China's high-tech enterprises" and disrupt the country's progress.

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