January 30, 2019:

On Tuesday, the extradition hearing for a top Huawei Executive at the center of a diplomatic row b/w Ottawa & Beijing has been pushed back to March.

The announcement came after the US unveiled sweeping charges against her and the Chinese tech giant.

Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's Chief Financial Officer and the daughter of its founder, was indicted along with Huawei and two affiliates in a US case related to alleged Iran sanctions violations that has inflamed tensions with China.

She was arrested at Washington's request on Dec 1 as she changed planes in Vancouver, and was later released on bail pending a decision on extradition to the US.

In Meng's first court appearance since being released, the judge moved the start of her extradition hearing to March 6, a month later than previously scheduled, in order to allow the defense time to review the evidence in the case.

Extradition cases can take months or years, noted David Lametti, Canada's new attorney general.

"By the time all the individual's rights are exhausted, they can actually take a long time," he told journalists in Ottawa.

He added, "At the end of the process, if a Judge orders an extradition, the attorney general would have the final say."

The case has drawn Canada into an escalating diplomatic crisis with Beijing, which has detained two Canadians in what was widely seen as an act of retaliation for Meng's arrest.

Over the weekend, Canada sacked its ambassador to China after he said that he believed the US extradition request was flawed.

China reacted furiously to the US criminal charges, saying they were the product of "strong political motivations and political manipulations."

The company also denied any wrongdoing. Canadian officials have confirmed to AFP that they received a formal extradition request from the US.

The US Justice Department has announced 13 charges against Meng, Huawei and two affiliates.

The indictment was unsealed as China's top trade negotiator arrived in Washington for high-stakes talks with US officials, which could complicate efforts to avert a deepening of their trade war.

In addition, 10 US federal charges were filed against two Huawei affiliates for allegedly stealing technology from T-Mobile.

Source Link

Picture Source :