Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

US case against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou 'flawed', her lawyers say

US case against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou 'flawed', her lawyers say

Lawyers for a senior executive for Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies attacked the case against her as fatally flawed and full of shifting theories during an extradition hearing Friday.
Lawyers for a senior executive for Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies attacked the case against her as fatally flawed and full of shifting theories during an extradition hearing Friday.

Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei's founder and the company's chief financial officer, at Vancouver's airport in late 2018. The US wants her extradited to face fraud charges. Her arrest infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent China's rise.

The US accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of US sanctions. It says Meng, 49, committed fraud by misleading the HSBC bank about the company's business dealings in Iran.

The lengthy extradition proceeding is entering the committal phase which involves arguments over the US government's request to extradite Meng.

Defense lawyer Eric Gottardi said fraud cases are normally straightforward, with a lie being told that results in someone losing money.

This case is different, he said. The alleged deception is ambiguous at best. The risk of economic loss to the alleged victim HSBC is wholly illusionary.

The shifting theories put forward by the US underscores the weakness of their case, he said.

There is no actual loss in this case. None of the requesting states theories of risk of loss pass muster. They all are either non-existent or entirely speculative.

The threshold for granting an extradition might not be high but it is a meaningful threshold, said Gottardi.

A requesting state requires a plausible case. Here we say the case falls far short.

Gottardi disputed claims by Canadian government lawyers that during a meeting with an HSBC official Meng was dishonest in not disclosing Huawei's relationship with Skycom and that put the bank at risk of violating US sanctions against Iran.

There is no evidence Ms. Meng's representation caused HSBC to violate any US sanctions law, he said.

In any event HSBC was not exposed to any real risk to criminal or civil liability.

It was HSBC's choice to take money deposited by Skycom and clear it through the US.

The fact HSBC chose to clear US dollar transactions through it's US subsidiary . . . cannot be blamed on Ms. Meng, Gottardi said.

Frank Addario, another member of the defense team, said during the meeting Meng never denied Huawei and Skycom work closely together in Iran.

She also denied allegations made in a news story that Huawei was involved in selling embargoed equipment.

There is no zero evidence that either Skycom or Huawei violated US sanctions laws respecting Iran, he said.

Meng, who attended court wearing an electronic monitoring device on her ankle, followed the proceedings through a translator.

Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes isn't expected to rule on Meng's extradition until later in the year. Whatever her decision, it will likely be appealed.

Earlier this week a Chinese court sentenced Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for spying.

Spavor and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig were arrested in December of 2018 in apparent retaliation to Meng's arrest.

The Chinese government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to Kovrig, beginning in 2017. Both have been held in isolation and have little contact with Canadian diplomats.

In another case, the Higher People's Court of Liaoning province in the northeast rejected an appeal by Canadian Robert Schellenberg, whose 15-year prison term on drug smuggling charges was increased to death in January 2019 following Meng's arrest.

Meng remains free on bail in Vancouver and is living in a mansion.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×