OTTAWA: A Canadian judge has refused Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's request to access a number of confidential documents, dealing a fresh blow in her fight against extradition to the United States.
Meng, the Chinese telecom giant's chief financial officer, was arrested on a US warrant in December 2018 during a stopover in Vancouver. She is charged with bank fraud related to violations of US sanctions against Iran, and has been fighting extradition ever since.
Late Thursday, the Canadian justice department announced that British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Holmes had "upheld a majority of Canada's privilege claims" related to the documents request.
The judgement itself has not yet been released to the public. Meng's lawyers had sought access to hundreds of documents concerning mostly communications between Canadian and US agencies prior to and after Meng's arrest, arguing that they could contain proof of an alleged conspiracy to collect evidence and interrogate her, in violation of her rights.
Specifically, they pointed to her detention and questioning without a lawyer over the three hours after she disembarked a flight from Hong Kong, but before she was charged, as well as the seizure of her electronic devices.
If proven, the allegations could result in a stay of the extradition proceedings. The Crown had released a slew of documents, but many were heavily redacted. It denied any plot and claimed solicitor-client and litigation privilege in refusing to handover more files.
The case has added to severe strain in China-US ties and created an unprecedented rift between Canada and China. Nine days after Meng's arrest, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor in what is widely viewed as retaliation over Meng.
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