Vancouver (AFP)

Canadian justice closed on Wednesday the last part of the extradition hearings to the United States of the financial director of the Chinese giant Huawei, concluding nearly 1,000 days of legal battle and diplomatic crisis.

Meng Wanzhou, 49, daughter of the founder of the telecoms giant, Ren Zhengfei, was arrested on December 1, 2018 at Vancouver airport at the request of Washington, who wants to try her for bank fraud.

"I will likely state when my decision will be made at the October 21 remand hearing," Justice Heather Holmes told the British Columbia Supreme Court.

The arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer, followed a few days later in China by that of two Canadians, sparked a serious diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Ottawa.

American justice accuses the number 2 of the telecoms giant of having lied to an HSBC bank executive during a meeting in Hong Kong in 2013, about the links between the Chinese group and a subsidiary called Skycom which sold equipment to Iran, exposing the establishment to US sanctions.

The applicant has always denied these accusations.

The Chinese government has believed from the start that the US administration seeks above all to weaken Huawei, a leading Chinese company and world leader in 5G equipment and networks, unmatched on the American side.

- "Abuse of process" -

In recent weeks, Ms. Meng's attorneys have again argued that the United States has brought an "abusive" lawsuit against its client.

The latter did not "deceive" the bank, which suffered neither financial loss nor risk of loss that could constitute fraud, they said.

"The rights guaranteed by the Charter (Canadian of Rights and Freedoms, editor's note) to Ms. Meng have been violated by the abuse of process. The only way to repair the damage caused by this abuse is to stop the extradition," he said. Huawei Canada pointed out, in a statement released shortly after the end of the hearings.

"From the start, Huawei has been convinced of Ms. Meng's innocence and has trusted the Canadian justice system," added the Chinese giant.

The Canadian and American authorities have denied any abuse of process.

"No one has received a fairer extradition hearing than Ms. Meng," insisted Canadian prosecutor Robert Frater on Wednesday.

The Canadian government lawyers pleading on behalf of the United States thus affirmed that there was sufficient evidence for Ms. Meng to be extradited and then tried by American justice.

The prosecution notably denounced the statements, according to it "dishonest", of Ms. Meng to an executive of HSBC bank during the meeting in Hong Kong in 2013 concerning the links between Huawei and Skycom during a Powerpoint presentation at the heart of the procedure.

Meng Wanzhou is currently living on probation at his luxurious Vancouver property and wears an electronic bracelet.

In the event of an appeal, the legal proceedings could take several more years.

These latest hearings, which began in early August, took place after Chinese justice has just sentenced two Canadians, the first to the death penalty for drug trafficking, and businessman Michael Spavor at 11 years old. imprisonment for espionage.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly denounced the "unacceptable and unjust" sentence imposed by China on Michael Spavor, a verdict also castigated by the European Union and the United States.

The verdict of the trial of ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig, also tried for espionage, is expected soon.

The "arbitrary" detention of the two Canadians is seen by Ottawa as a retaliatory measure after the arrest of Meng Wanzhou at the request of the United States.

Beijing, which calls on Ottawa for the "immediate release" of the leader, denies using the two imprisoned Canadians as a bargaining chip.

© 2021 AFP