Canadian prosecutors say case against Huawei CFO is about fraud, not sanctions

TORONTO: Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou’s conduct amounts to fraud under Canadian law and the court need not consider U.S. sanctions law, Canadian federal prosecutors argued in a court filing released on Friday.

Meng’s legal team argued in November that the Huawei chief financial officer could not be extradited to the United States because her alleged conduct was not illegal in Canada. Canada did not have sanctions against Iran at the time Canadian officials authorized commencing with the extradition, her lawyers said.

Meng, 47, was arrested at the Vancouver International Airport on Dec. 1, 2018, at the request of the United States, where she is charged with bank fraud and accused of misleading the bank HSBC about Huawei Technologies’ business in Iran. Meng has said she is innocent and is fighting extradition.