Huawei CFO sues Canadian government, insists she’s innocent

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou has filed a civil lawsuit against the Canadian government, accusing it of wrongful imprisonment while insisting upon her “innocence of any wrongdoing.”

Meng filed the suit against the government and two of its agencies—the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada Border Services Agency—in the British Columbia Supreme Court on March 1, the same day Canada allowed the US’s extradition process against her to proceed.

Huawei declined to comment when contacted by TechNode.

The lawsuit comes after a series of diplomatic rows following Meng’s arrest in Vancouver on Dec. 1. The US seeks to extradite Meng for alleged charges relating to violating sanctions against Iran. She was later released on monitored bail in Vancouver while awaiting a decision on her extradition.

According to a statement from her lawyers provided to TechNode by Huawei, Meng alleges that her constitutional rights were breached. She is seeking damages for misfeasance in public office and wrongful imprisonment.

Meng’s lawyers said that they are disappointed in the Canadian government’s decision to allow the extradition process to proceed given “the political nature of the US charges.” US president Donald Trump in December said he would interfere in Meng’s case as part of a trade deal with China. She is required to appear in court for an extradition hearing on Wednesday.

The Chinese government over the weekend responded to Canada’s decision to move forward with Meng’s extradition by saying this is not a merely judicial case, but political persecution against a high-tech Chinese enterprise, adding that it was “utterly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to it.”

Huawei has faced regulatory pushback abroad as governments attempt to limit the presence of the company’s products in their telecommunications infrastructure, citing security concerns. So far, Huawei equipment has been banned in the US, Australia, and New Zealand. However, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in late February said that Huawei has yet to be excluded from the country’s 5G plan.

Earlier this year, Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said in his first interview with foreign media in over three years that he missed his daughter Meng “very much.” The company has sought to improve its image abroad,  issuing an open letter on Feb.28 inviting US media and journalists to visit in the hope of “understanding each other better” despite the US government’s “misunderstanding.”