Meng Wanzhou, financial director of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei arrested on December 1, 2018 in Canada at the request of Washington, who wanted to try her for various crimes, including banking fraud, is free.
A Canadian judge decided to release him, closing the extradition proceedings in a brief hearing before the British Columbia Supreme Court. The trial in Vancouver took place a few hours after the conclusion of an agreement between Washington and Huawei that allows the woman, hitherto on probation in Canada, to return to China.
Wanzhou has already left the country and is flying to China. The 49-year-old daughter of Ren Zhengfei, Huawei's founding billionaire, was reportedly caught on Canadian TV as she boarded a flight to the city of Shenzhen.
At the same time, two Canadian citizens detained in China since 2018, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were released from Beijing and are about to return to their homeland. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced it: "A few minutes ago, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor left Chinese airspace to return home".
"These two men have been through a terrible ordeal for more than 1,000 days. They have shown determination and resilience on a day-to-day basis and are an inspiration to us all," he added.
Former diplomat Kovrig and businessman Spavor were arrested in December 2018 in China for spying, causing an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Ottawa and Beijing. For Canada, the detention was a retaliatory measure after Meng Wanzhou's arrest.
(Unioneonline / D)
