The lawyer for a top Chinese executive who faces fraud charges in the U.S. says it would be inconceivable she would flee because she would not embarrass her father or the enormous company she has helped build.
Monday is the second day of a hearing on whether to release Meng on bail in Canada. Meng Wanzhou is the chief financial officer of telecommunications giant Huawei and also the daughter of its founder.
Her lawyer David Martin says Meng’s husband will put up both of their Vancouver homes plus $1 million Canadian (US$750,000) for a total value of $15 million Canadian ($11.2 million) as collateral.
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She was detained at the request of the U.S. during a layover at the Vancouver airport on Dec. 1. The U.S. alleges that Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment in Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It also says that Meng and Huawei misled American banks about its business dealings in Iran.
Martin called to the stand a representative from a surveillance company. Martin says Meng would cover the expenses of the company and says the surveillance company will arrest her if she tries to flee.
China formally protested the arrest to the ambassadors of Canada and the United States over the weekend.
The country says there is no evidence to back up claims in the West that Huawei and other Chinese tech companies pose a security threat.
READ MORE: China says Canada’s detention of Huawei exec ‘vile in nature’
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Monday that other countries are hyping up security threats to create obstacles for Chinese companies trying to do legitimate business.
His comments come shortly before Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was due in court in Canada for a resumption of her bail hearing.
The U.S. alleges Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to evade U.S. trade curbs on Iran and wants Meng extradited. She was detained on Dec. 1 while changing planes in Vancouver.
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The Associated Press
