By Canadian Press

Only U.S. would be interested in Meng’s border exam answers: lawyer

Mar 19, 2021 | 1:06 PM

VANCOUVER — A lawyer for the chief financial officer of telecom giant Huawei says a Canadian border officer had no reason to question her about the company’s activity in Iran except to assist U.S. investigators.

Mona Duckett told a B.C. Supreme Court judge hearing Meng’s extradition case that some questions posed by Supt. Sanjit Dhillon had nothing to do with her admissibility into Canada. 

Dhillon says in a statutory declaration completed after Meng’s 2018 arrest at Vancouver’s airport that he asked her what concerns the United States had about Huawei products, whether her company sold products that it shouldn’t, and whether her company sold products in Iran. 

Meng is wanted on fraud charges in the United States based on allegations relating to U.S. sanctions against Iran that both she and Huawei deny.

Lawyers for Canada’s attorney general say in court documents the screening questions had a “clear nexus” with admissibility concerns and there is no evidence that the answer were shared beyond the Canada Border Services Agency.

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Meng’s lawyers are arguing proceedings in her extradition case should be stayed because her rights were violated at the airport when she was questioned before being informed of her arrest.

They claim RCMP and border officers colluded to conduct a covert criminal investigation under the guise of routine border exam, an allegation the officers have denied. 

“The value of these responses to an adjudicator who is assessing whether Ms. Meng might be inadmissible to Canada for either criminality or for national security concerns to Canada or her allies is, with respect, zero,” Duckett said Friday. 

“The value would only be to a U.S. audience.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2021.

The Canadian Press