Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou appearing in court Friday to resolve charges, report says
OTTAWA-- A criminal charge against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in the United States is about to be resolved in a deal that would see the Chinese corporate star escape criminal liability in exchange for agreement to respect certain conditions to be approved by a U.S. court.
Known as a deferred prosecution agreement, it could ultimately lead to a breakthrough in the cases of the two Canadians - known as the two Michaels" - who were arrested in China after Canadian authorities detained Meng in Vancouver following an extradition request from the U.S. government.
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor remain jailed in China. Spavor, a businessman, was convicted by a Chinese court on national security charges. The case against Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat who was on leave at the time of his detention, remains in limbo.
Reuters reported Friday that officials in the U.S. Department of Justice had reached an agreement with Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, which would see her appear virtually before Judge Ann Donnelly in a Brooklyn courtroom this afternoon, and later in a Vancouver court.
Canadian officials would not confirm the deal, but one told the Star that there will be developments in a Canadian courtroom later today.
Friday's developments could means an end to the long-running dispute that began when RCMP officers arrested the Chinese corporate star on Dec. 1, 2018.
Meng has remained under house arrest in Vancouver since then.
The Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on the developments Friday morning.
If the reports are true, the U.S. government would still need to formally withdraw the extradition request.
Meng's arrest and allegations that Huawei has been stealing American intellectual property have become major irritants between the U.S. and China, and left Canada caught between the two economic superpowers.
U.S. authorities charged Meng with fraud based on allegations she misled HSBC about Huawei's business dealings in Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions against that country.
Following her arrest, Meng was released on bail and has been living in one of her two mansions in Vancouver while she fights the U.S. extradition request in a Canadian court.
A B.C. judge was set to announce when a decision would be rendered on Meng's legal challenge on Oct. 21.
If the U.S. case against Meng is dropped - and the extradition request withdrawn - she could be free to leave Canada as early as today.
Days after Meng's arrest, Chinese authorities arrested Kovrig, who was working with International Crisis Group while on leave from his job as a Canadian diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a China-based Canadian businessman who worked to build business ties with South Korea.
Both men were charged with breaking Chinese national security laws. In August, Spavor was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Kovrig's fate has yet to be determined.
Another Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, who had been sentenced to 15 years in a Chinese prison on drug charges in China, was later given a death sentence.
When Spavor was convicted in early August, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the immediate release of the two Michaels.
The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable," Blinken said. People should never be used as bargaining chips."
Tonda MacCharles is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @tondamacc