Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers claim that HSBC’s internal documents contradict U.S. claims that could result in extradition from Canada.
HSBC’s own records reflected Huawei’s continued control over dealings with Iran-linked Skycom, Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers told a British Columbia court, including control over its accounts held at the British lender.
According to Meng’s lawyer Mark Sandler, HSBC had conducted risk assessments with full knowledge of Huawei’s relationship with Skycom, adding that the latter’s financial statements were even included in a report on the Huawei account to the bank’s head office.
We’re now in a different universe, Sandler said at the hearing yesterday. There is no plausible case for committal.
Meng is approaching the final round of extradition hearings scheduled for August.
If admitted by the court, the HSBC documents which were obtained in a deal overseen by a Hong Kong court in April will be usable for the hearing.
Acting on behalf of the U.S. in the case, lawyers for the Attorney General of Canada have yet to respond to the submissions.
