Canadian consultant Michael Spavor, whose detention in China is deemed "arbitrary" by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was sentenced Wednesday, August 11, to 11 years in prison for espionage.

He was arrested in December 2018, in what is seen in Canada as a retaliatory measure after the arrest a few days earlier in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, the financial director of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

Michael Spavor was "convicted of espionage and stealing state secrets" and is "sentenced to 11 years in prison," a court in Dandong (north-east), on the north-eastern border, said on Wednesday. Korean, where the Canadian was tried in March 2021. His trial was held behind closed doors - which is customary in China in espionage cases.

Another Canadian, ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig, was also arrested and detained at the same time as Michael Spavor on similar grounds of espionage.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced during the trials the "arbitrary detention" of the two men and the "lack of transparency" of the Chinese authorities.

Money change

Meng Wanzhou's arrest was made at the request of the Americans, who suspect her of bank fraud and demand that Canada be extradited to the United States.

China has since continued to denounce a "political" maneuver by Washington and calls on Ottawa for the "immediate release" of the leader.

Beijing denies using the two imprisoned Canadians as bargaining chips.

Is there a coincidence or a desire to put pressure on Ottawa?

The sentence against Michael Spavor is announced as Meng Wanzhou appears until August 20 in a Canadian court for a final round of hearings devoted to his potential extradition.

No decision on this subject is expected for a few months.

In the event of an appeal, the procedure could also last several years.

The verdict against Michael Spavor comes the day after the Chinese justice confirmed the death penalty against Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, another Canadian convicted of drug trafficking.

With AFP

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