By Canadian Press

Nothing ‘sinister’ about airport questioning of Huawei exec Meng Wanzhou: Crown

Sep 30, 2019 | 2:29 PM

VANCOUVER — A Crown prosecutor says the actions of Canadian officials during the arrest of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver’s airport were “not at all sinister” and followed their legal obligations. 

Robert Frater, a lawyer representing the Attorney General of Canada, says the defence has alleged that Canadian and United States officials conspired to conduct a covert criminal investigation at the airport on Dec. 1, 2018.

Border guards held Meng for three hours before the RCMP executed a provisional arrest warrant at the request of the U.S., which is seeking her extradition on fraud charges linked to alleged violation of sanctions against Iran.

Meng, who is the Chinese tech giant’s chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder, denies wrongdoing and her lawyers are in British Columbia Supreme Court seeking further documents ahead of her extradition trial in January.

Frater says her questioning at the airport was hardly covert, since various activities were videotaped, audiotaped and subject to notes, and if it was an “investigation,” it produced paltry results.

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He says it produced two statements from Meng, neither of which prejudiced her rights or demonstrated any impropriety by officers involved, and though her electronic devices were seized, they were not searched.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2019.

The Canadian Press