Lawyers for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou will be in a New York court today where, according to multiple reports, the U.S. charges against her could be resolved following negotiations with American officials.
It’s possible Meng could plead guilty to fraud charges as early as today and be given a fine, according to reports.
According to the United States District Court Eastern District of New York’s docket for Friday, the case of ‘USA v. Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd’ is expected to come up at 1 p.m. EDT.
A second court appearance at a B.C. court is possible, pending the outcome in New York. If a deal with the Americans is struck, the extradition proceedings against Meng could be stayed, likely resulting in the Chinese telecom giant CFO’s release from house arrest in Vancouver.
Meng has been under house arrest in Canada since she was first taken into custody at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018 on a U.S. warrant related to the company’s business dealings in Iran. Acting on the U.S. request inflamed diplomatic tensions between Canada and China.
Huawei Canada and Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti’s office have declined to comment at this time.
CTV News has spoken with one source who says Meng’s deferred prosecution negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice have been underway for months, and did not include any agreement related to the ongoing detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in China.
Kovrig and Spavor were detained just days after Meng’s arrest and have now been in Chinese custody for 1,019 days on charges that have largely been viewed as a retaliatory response to Canada’s arrest of Meng. It’s not clear if today’s developments would have any impact on their cases.
-- with files from CTV News --