An executive of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has been granted bail by a Canadian court on Tuesday, 10 days after she was arrested in Vancouver at the request of US authorities which sparked a diplomatic dispute.
Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder, faces US claims that she misled multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating US sanctions.
In a court hearing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Justice William Ehrcke granted C$10 million ($7.5 million) bail to Meng, who has been jailed since her arrest on December 1. The courtroom erupted in applause when the decision was announced. Meng cried and hugged her lawyers.
One of the conditions of her bail is that she must wear an ankle monitor and stay at home from 11 pm to 6 am. Five friends pledged equity in their homes and other money as a guarantee she will not flee.
If a Canadian judge rules the case against Meng is strong enough, Canada’s justice minister must next decide whether to extradite her to the United States. If so, Meng would face US charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions, with a maximum sentence of 30 years for each charge.
The arrest of Meng has further strained the Chinese relations with the United States and Canada at a time when tensions were already high over an ongoing trade war and US accusations of Chinese spying.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters on Tuesday he would intervene in the US Justice Department’s case against Meng if it would serve national security interests or help close a trade deal with China.
