Huawei CFO's to find out if her fraud case will proceed

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei is scheduled to learn Wednesday if a U.S extradition case against her can proceed.

Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, at Vancouver’s airport in late 2018. The U.S. wants her extradited to face fraud charges. Her arrest infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent China’s rise.

British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Heather Homes is scheduled to rule if the allegations against Meng Wanzhou in the U.S. would also be a crime in Canada if committed here.

The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It says Meng, 47, committed fraud by misleading the HSBC bank about the company’s business dealings in Iran.

Meng’s lawyers argued during a hearing in January that the case is really about U.S. sanctions against Iran, not a fraud case. They maintain since Canada does not have similar sanctions against Iran, no fraud occurred.

Ahead of the decision Meng, the company’s chief financial officer, posed for photos on the court steps this past the weekend, giving a thumbs up sign.

A negative ruling could continue to harm relations between Beijing and Ottawa for years. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday his government should not have to explain any court decision to China.

“We don’t need to apologize or explain for the decisions taken by our independent justice system,” Trudeau said. “We will continue to abide and defend that system.”

In apparent retaliation for Meng’s arrest, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor. China has also placed restrictions on various Canadian...