An executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co. has sued Canadian authorities claiming they unlawfully detained her in Vancouver late last year following an extradition arrest request from the United States, her lawyers said Sunday.
The lawyers for Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou said they filed the damages lawsuit against the Canadian government, as well as its border agency and police, with the Supreme Court of British Columbia on Friday.
(Supporters stand with a sign outside BC Supreme Court before the bail hearing for Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou on Dec. 10, 2018 in Vancouver.)
[Getty/Kyodo]
They claimed that the authorities interrogated Meng, who is the daughter of the company's founder Ren Zhengfei, instead of immediately arresting her, seized her electronic devices and unlawfully viewed the contents.
The suit came as the Canadian Justice Department on Friday gave the green light to an extradition hearing for Meng, which is expected to take place at a court in Vancouver.
On Dec. 1, Meng was arrested at Vancouver's airport by Canadian authorities at the request of the United States, which has accused her of helping Huawei, one of the world's leading makers of smartphones and telecom networks, evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.
She was released on bail later that month and remains under house arrest in Vancouver.
On Jan. 28, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed criminal charges against Huawei, Meng and two affiliates in connection with the alleged banking fraud.
In a separate case, the U.S. department has also charged Huawei with stealing trade secrets from T-Mobile USA Inc.
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