Canadian authorities granted a request for bail to Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial office of Huawei, who was detained at the request of the U.S. Meng has been held since Dec. 1, awaiting an extradition hearing. Terms of bail were set high to reduce the risk Meng would attempt to leave the country before the hearing, the judge said. Huawei is a prominent Chinese company, and her arrest has roiled relations between China and both Canada and the U.S.
The U.S. alleges that Huawei, a Chinese-based manufacturer of telecom products and consumer electronics, directed sales of U.S.-originating components to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. Authorities have highlighted Meng’s role, accusing her at a bail hearing on Dec. 7 of managing the evasion through a company called Skycom.
The Canadian judge overseeing the case required C$10 million ($7.5 million) in cash and home equity, which was put up by Meng’s husband, former colleagues, and friends, according to Bloomberg. Meng must remain at one of two homes she owns in Vancouver, and is subject to monitoring via a combination of electronic devices and security guards. She also surrendered her passports for China and Hong Kong.
Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, was arrested in Vancouver, B.C, while changing flights between her home city of Hong Kong and Mexico.
Nikkei Asian Review reported that Meng had avoided travel to the U.S. since spring 2017, and that U.S. authorities believed she did so due to an awareness that an investigation against her into violating sanctions was underway. Meng has four children, one of whom attends college in Boston.
