CSIS report released in court documents in Meng Wanzhou extradition process (File)
Toronto:
The Canadian intelligence agency has warned that arresting the daughter of Huawei founder billionaire Ren Zheng would trigger global “shockwaves” and seriously affect relations with China, just before his detention in Vancouver for an investigation. extradition to the United States, according to new court documents.
Sold on Friday, the documents show the involvement of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in the arrest of Meng Wanzhou in December 2018, which damaged diplomatic relations between Ottawa and Beijing.
Meng is the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the company at the center of next-generation 5G wireless technology and a long-standing conflict with the administration of US President Donald Trump.
A CSIS report was disclosed in court documents as part of the Meng extradition process. In a redacted memo dated December 1, 2018, CSIS stated that it had been informed by the U.S. FBI of its intention to arrest Meng upon his arrival at Vancouver International Airport later the same day.
“The arrest is likely to send shock waves around the world,” said CSIS. “The planned event will have major consequences at international and bilateral level,” the report said.
Huawei’s lawyers qualified the evidence documents that the authorities had plotted against Meng.
Meng is accused by the US authorities of bank fraud for deceiving HSBC on Huawei’s relationship with a company operating in Iran, which exposes HSBC to fines and sanctions for violating the US sanctions against Tehran.
Meng’s lawyers argued that the case should be dismissed because Canada had no sanctions against Iran. Meng says she is innocent. Last month, a Canadian judge authorized the prosecution of the case, dismissing defense arguments that the US charges against Meng do not constitute crimes in Canada.
New court documents show that CSIS was concerned about when Meng’s arrest could become public. His lawyers noted that this was particularly interesting as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the G20 summit in Argentina and had dinner together on the evening of December 1.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
