Huawei Exec Strikes Back

Meng Wanzhou sues Canada, its border agency, and the RCMP
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 3, 2019 3:10 PM CST
Huawei Executive Strikes Back at Canada
In this Jan. 29, 2019, file photo, Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou leaves her home to attend a court appearance in Vancouver, British Columbia.   (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

An executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei is suing the Canadian government, its border agency and the national police force, saying they detained, searched and interrogated her before telling her she was under arrest, the AP reports. Lawyers for Meng Wanzhou said Sunday they filed a notice of civil claim in the British Columbia Supreme Court. Canada arrested the daughter of Huawei's founder at the request of the US on Dec. 1 at Vancouver's airport. Meng is wanted on fraud charges that she misled banks about the company's business dealings in Iran. The suit alleges that instead of immediately arresting her, authorities interrogated Meng "under the guise of a routine customs" examination and used the opportunity to "compel her to provide evidence and information."

The suit alleges Canada Border Service Agency agents seized her electronic devices, obtained passwords, and unlawfully viewed the contents and intentionally failed to advise her of the true reasons for her detention. The suit said only after three hours was she told she was under arrest and had right to counsel. Meng is out on bail and living in Vancouver awaiting extradition proceedings. On Friday, Canadian Justice Department officials gave the go-ahead for her extradition proceedings to begin. Meng is due in court Wednesday to set a date for the proceedings to start. It could be several months or even years before her case is resolved. Meng's arrest set off a diplomatic furor and severely strained Canadian relations with China. Beijing has accused Washington of a politically motivated attempt to hurt a potential competitor to US technology vendors.

(More Huawei stories.)

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