Huawei CFO seeks bail on health grounds; Canada wants her in jail

The CFO of China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd argued that she should be released on bail while awaiting an extradition hearing, citing her longstanding ties to Canada, properties she owns in Vancouver and fears for her health while incarcerated, court documents showed on Sunday.

Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou is fighting to be released on bail after she was arrested on December 1 in Vancouver at the request of the United States. She is also fighting the extradition request, and China has protested her arrest to US and Canadian officials.

Meng, 46, faces US accusations that she misled multinational banks about Huawei’s control of a company operating in Iran. This deception put the banks at risk of violating US sanctions and incurring severe penalties, according to court documents seen by the Reuters news agency. US officials allege that Huawei was trying to use the banks to move money out of Iran.

China has demanded her immediate release. The arrest has roiled global markets as investors worried it could torpedo attempts to thaw trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.

In a sworn affidavit, Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, said she is innocent and will contest the allegations at trial in the United States if she is surrendered there.