Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou Freed, Flies Back To China After US Deal

According to the deal, two Canadians who were arrested shortly after Meng was taken into custody in December 2018 were released from Chinese jails and were on their way back to Canada.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou (Image: AFP)

New Delhi: After year long extradition drama of Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, , there has been a breakthrough in the case with Meng fying back home to China on Friday after reaching an agreement with US prosecutors to end the bank fraud case against her.

The extradition drama continued to be the major reason of discord and worsening ties between Beijing and Washington, with Chinese officials insisting that the case needed to be dropped to help end a diplomatic stalemate.

What prompted the release of Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou?

Meng Wanzhou, who had been in detention in Canada since December 2018, was discharged in a case for extradition to the United States following the American department of justice agreeing to a deal with her.

According to the deal, two Canadians who were arrested shortly after Meng was taken into custody in December 2018 were released from Chinese jails and were on their way back to Canada. Beijing had denied that their arrests were linked, as per the Reuters.

Meng was arrested at Vancouver International Airport on a US warrant, and indicted on bank and wire fraud charges for allegedly misleading HSBC (HSBA.L) in 2013 about the telecommunications equipment giant's business dealings in Iran.

The United States on Friday reached a deferred prosecution agreement with Meng, according to Reuters. While she said the long-running case had been “disruptive” for her personally, Meng Wanzhou expressed her appreciation of the court “for their professionalism and the Canadian government for upholding the rule of law.”

Who are two Canadians released?

Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were accused of espionage in 2018, shortly after Canadian police arrested Meng was arrested. Teh move was criticised with people accusing China of detaining the Canadians in response to the arrest of Meng, to use as political bargaining chips. Beijing had strongly denied this.

The two men had maintained their innocence throughout.

Justin Trudeau informed that the two Canadians imprisoned in China were on board a flight from China and returning to Canada. Addressing the media in Ottawa, he said, “These two men have gone through an unbelievably difficult ordeal. For the past 1,000 days, they have shown strength, perseverance, resilience and grace.