Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou and her lawyers have petitioned Canada’s Justice Minister to end the ongoing proceedings to extradite her to the US, after she was arrested in December in Vancouver at the request of the US Justice Department over alleged fraud in connection with US sanctions over Iran , reported Caixin.
Meng’s legal team also argued that the extradition proceedings are “unprecedented” in Canada, according to a statement signed by the lawyers.
The Minister has the power to end the proceedings under the Extradition Act as his power is “distinct” from that of the court, according to a three-page statement that the lawyers issued on Monday.
“No similar extradition request has ever been entertained by Canada. Palpably, it is brought for political purposes as opposed to legitimate criminal law enforcement reasons,” the statement said.
These arguments reiterate what Meng’s lawyers already said in court, but the statement came a week after former Prime Minister Jean Chretien urged Ottawa to terminate the high-profile extradition case to thaw frigid relations with China.
