Huawei's Meng due back in Canada court over U.S. extradition request

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Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou leaves her Vancouver home to attend British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver, British Columbia, March 1, 2021. /CFP

The chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei will be back in a Canadian court on Wednesday for a final round of hearings on her possible extradition to the United States, after nearly three years of court battles.

Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of company founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, is fighting extradition to the United States, which wants to try her for bank fraud and conspiracy for allegedly concealing her company's business dealings, through a subsidiary, in Iran.

If transferred to the United States for trial and subsequently convicted, she could face more than 30 years in a U.S. prison.

Meng is due to appear before the Supreme Court of British Columbia on Wednesday for more than two weeks of hearings.

Meng Wanzhou hearing: Witness admits giving 'incomplete' testimony

Meng Wanzhou (L), Huawei's chief financial officer, sits next to her translator in the courtroom in Vancouver, British Columbia, in the sketch photo, December 10, 2018. /CFP

The 49-year-old has denied any wrongdoing, and her defense team says abuses by Canadian and U.S. officials have denied her due process, and therefore the U.S. extradition request should be quashed.

"The narrative can simply no longer survive scrutiny," her lawyer Mark Sandler argued in June. "There is no plausible case for committal."

The final round of hearings in Meng's case is scheduled to end on August 20. But a decision is not expected for several weeks, and any fresh appeal could mean the procedure would drag on even longer.

(With input from AFP)

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