The chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom group Huawei , arrested in Canada, is released on bail for the time being. A court in Vancouver, Canada, voted on Tuesday to approve a petition from Meng Wanzhou’s defense.
The top manager and daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has deposited $ 10 million to be released from prison until the final decision on her imminent extradition to the United States.
The court sees the risk of absconding of the entrepreneur as low, which threatens the extradition to the US. The risk that Meng would not appear in court in the future, could be reduced by the proposed by her lawyer conditions to an „acceptable level,“ said a judge on Tuesday.
Ankle bracelet and security guard
The court approved the bail only under more than a dozen conditions, among other things, Meng must hand over their passports. In addition, the 46-year-old must carry a device for GPS tracking and be around the clock to be supervised by a security service, for which she pays. It may also only move in a certain part of Vancouver.
Meng was arrested in Canada on December 1 at the behest of the US authorities demanding their extradition. Meng is accused by US investigators of doing business with Iran through an unofficial subsidiary called Skycom, thereby violating sanctions. In this context, she is also accused of making false statements to banks. According to the indictment, she would be threatened with 30 years‘ imprisonment in the US for „conspiracy to commit fraud by financial institutions“.
Canadians arrested in China
The case weighs on China’s relations with the US and Canada. Fears of renewed escalation in the Beijing-Washington trade dispute fanned the financial markets. China has strongly protested Meng’s arrest and demanded their immediate release.
The Canadian government confirmed on Tuesday the arrest of one of its former diplomats in China, leading to speculation about Beijing’s retaliatory action. „We know about the arrest of a Canadian citizen in China,“ the Foreign Ministry said. You are in contact with the Chinese authorities about the case.
Public Security Minister Ralph Goodale said in Ottawa that he was „deeply concerned“ about the arrest of the man named Michael Kovrig. Kovrig’s current employer, the non-governmental organization Crisis Group, had earlier reported that reports were being leaked that the Northeast Asia expert had been arrested in China. (chk / SDA)
