Arrested Huawei CFO offers to pay for her own 24-hour surveillance and wear a tracking device if she's granted bail
Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou appeared Monday in a Canadian court to argue that she should be released on bail while she waits to hear whether she'll be extradited to the US.
US prosecutors want to charge Meng with fraud related to US trade sanctions, which she allegedly violated by hiding her company's ties to business dealings in Iran.
In arguing for her release, Meng's lawyers cited her severe health issues, and argued that she would pay for her own surveillance team to monitor her while she's out on bail.
Meng is the chief financial officer at one of China's largest tech companies, and is also the daughter of Huawei's founder.
The high-powered Chinese tech executive accused of helping her company evade US trade sanctions reportedly told the courts this week that she would pay for her own 24-hour surveillance team and wear a tracking device if it meant she'd be granted bail.
Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, appeared in a Canadian supreme court Monday to ask to be released on bail while it's decided whether she'll be extradited to the US. Meng was arrested earlier this month in Vancouver, Canada on suspicion of hiding ties between Huawei and Skycom, a small telecoms company that prosecutors allege conducted business in Iran in violation of US trade sanctions.
Meng, 46, is the daughter of Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei. Her arrest has spurred strong "solemn representations and strong protests" from Chinese officials, who have argued that Meng's arrest is "extremely egregious," and have warned the US of "grave consequences" if she's not released. The arrest threatens to increase tensions between US and China, who are embroiled in a contentious trade war.
In arguing for bail, Meng and her lawyers cited her family's connections in Canada as reason why she wouldn't flee the country while out on bail, the Washington Post reported. Meng's family, which includes her husband and four kids, own two multimillion-dollar houses in Vancouver that she is willing to put up for bail.
According to the Post, lawyers proposed an extensive security plan that Meng was willing to pay for if she were released on bail. Conditions include a surveillance team to monitor her and ensure she doesn't leave the country, as well as a wearable tracking device, the Post reports.
Additionally, Meng's team maintains the CFO would not be a flight risk due to her many health concerns. Meng is a thyroid cancer survivor who relies on daily drug treatments and has trouble swallowing food, according to her lawyers. Her legal team argued that Meng's condition could worsen the longer she stays detained.
In response, prosecutors argued that Meng was indeed a flight risk, the Post says. No decision was reached Monday on whether bail will be granted, and court hearings will proceed Tuesday.
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