(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –The chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei has been released on bail in Canada, setting her up for a lengthy legal fight over extradition to the United States.
But the case of Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Vancouver earlier this month, took on a new dimension after US President Donald Trump suggested he may intervene in the legal saga if it would help his pursuit of a trade deal with China.
Meng’s arrest has stoked tensions between the United States and China, just as the two sides have been trying to negotiate an end to their bruising trade war.
“If I think it’s good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made — which is a very important thing — what’s good for national security — I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary,” Trump told Reuters in an interview published shortly after the Meng was granted bail by a judge in Vancouver.
The US government alleges that Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei’s founder, helped the company dodge sanctions on Iran. She was arrested December 1 during a layover at Vancouver International Airport.
Huawei is one of China’s leading tech companies. It sells more smartphones than Apple (AAPL) and builds telecommunications networks in countries around the world.
A judge granted Meng, 46, a $10 million ($7.5 million USD) bail Tuesday after three days of court hearings. She left the court in downtown Vancouver on Tuesday evening, according to Canadian broadcaster CBC.
As a condition of her release, she has agreed to surrender her passports and live in one of her homes in Vancouver. She will also pay for an around-the-clock security detail and wear a GPS ankle bracelet.
Meng’s attorney, David Martin, argued that she should be released on bail while she waits for an extradition hearing because of health concerns. Meng has severe hypertension, for which she was hospitalized after her arrest.
