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Ian Young

A Canadian judge has refused to order the removal of private security guards tasked with preventing Huawei Technologies Co. executive Meng Wanzhou from escaping when she leaves her Vancouver mansion.
Meng’s lawyers had argued at a bail hearing in the Supreme Court of British Columbia earlier this month that travelling around the city in the same vehicle as the guards put Meng at risk of Covid-19.
But on Friday, Mr Justice William Ehrcke ordered that the 24-hour watch over Meng be maintained by Lions Gate Risk Management, both at her C$13.6 million (US$10.6 million) home in the exclusive neighbourhood of Shaughnessy, and whenever she leaves the property.
He said the current conditions were “the minimum” required to prevent Meng escaping.

“I am satisfied the current arrangement … does not pose an unacceptable health risk [to Meng],” said Ehrcke.
In his ruling, Ehrcke said he had been presented with no medical evidence that Meng – who had surgery for thyroid cancer in 2011 and suffers hypertension – was at greater risk from Covid-19 than any other 48-year-old woman.
Meng must also still abide by an 11pm to 6am curfew and wear a GPS tracker to make sure she does not leave the city.
Bullets were sent to Meng so China demanded her return, court hears
Meng has been in Vancouver since her December 1, 2018, arrest at the city’s airport by Canadian police acting on a US warrant. The chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies has been fighting a US extradition request for two years; American prosecutors want her sent to New York to face trial for fraud, a charge she denies.
The 24-hour presence of the guards – who are paid by Meng but act on behalf of the court – was one of the conditions imposed by Ehrcke when he originally freed her on C$10 million bail in 2018.
Ehrcke said on Friday that while Meng was unable to socially distance herself from her guards when she left her home, “she has the ability to self-isolate if she so chooses; except for attendance at court, she is not required to leave her residence”.
“I am satisfied the current arrangement of being transported [to court] by Lions Gate personnel who are wearing masks does not pose an unacceptable health risk,” said Ehrcke, noting that Meng’s home was “not a great distance” from the downtown courthouse.


The judge said that the current bail conditions were substantially similar to those requested by Meng herself at the original hearing two years ago.
He rejected a series of other arguments that Meng deserved more freedom because her circumstances had changed.
Ehrcke referred to a case-law argument by Meng’s lawyers, regarding the adjustment of bail conditions for another suspect on the basis of his compliance, in contrast to his previous criminality.
“[But] the situation in the case of Ms Meng is entirely different,” said Ehrcke, who said he had originally noted in 2018 the absence of previous criminal behaviour by her.
“The fact that she has not breached her bail conditions does not represent a material change of circumstance,” he said.
Huawei sinks as Apple becomes world’s top smartphone seller
Likewise, the fact that the judge in Meng’s extradition case had ruled there was an “air of reality” to arguments that she had suffered an abuse of process, did not reflect that the case was a strong one, merely that it could be made. This was no change in Meng’s circumstances either, for the purposes of bail, Ehrcke said.
“The current bail conditions were carefully crafted in an attempt to mitigate the risk of flight by Ms Meng,” who had “significant financial resources” at her disposal, said Ehrcke. “An integral component was the supervision and surveillance of Ms Meng by Lions Gate personnel when she is away from her residence”.

 
He said it was significant that Lions Gate CEO Scot Filer was apparently not willing to support the change in bail conditions, in contrast to Filer’s support for previous modifications to Meng’s bail terms.
“I remain of the view that the current bail conditions are the minimum required to mitigate Ms Meng’s risk of flight to an acceptable level. The application … is dismissed,” Ehrcke said.
Ehrcke ordered Meng to return to court on March 1 for the continuation of her extradition hearings.
Evidence in the bail hearing had been presented to Ehrcke on January 12 and 13, with Canadian government lawyers representing US interests in the case opposing the easing of Meng’s conditions.
Boeing 777 jet was chartered to fly Meng Wanzhou home to China, court hears
Meng’s husband, Liu Xiaozong, testified that their two children, who are also staying at the Shaughnessy home, “are afraid of being identified by the public” because of the guards’ presence.
Lions Gate president Douglas Maynard also testified, telling Ehrcke that the risks regarding Meng may have increased – not so much because she might intentionally breach her conditions, but because others might try to “extract” her from Canada.
The court heard descriptions of Meng’s life in Vancouver, including private shopping at high-end Vancouver boutiques, and a Christmas celebration in which Meng booked out an entire Chinese restaurant in Richmond for her party of 14. There were also visits to her home by a masseuse and an art teacher.
When Meng and her lawyers mistakenly believed she was on the brink of being released last May, a Boeing 777 jet was chartered for her victory flight home to China, the court heard from the Crown lawyers and Maynard.

Maynard also told the court that Meng had received death threats by mail last summer, in letters that contained bullets. When the Chinese consulate heard about the threats, it issued a demand to Canada’s foreign ministry that Meng be released, he said.
Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, is accused by US prosecutors of defrauding HSBC by lying to the bank about Huawei’s business dealings in Iran, putting the bank at risk of breaching US sanctions on the Middle Eastern country.
Her treatment has infuriated China, worsening relations between Canada and the US.
Two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were arrested in China in December 2018 and have been charged with espionage, but Ottawa regards them as hostages. They are being held in prisons in Beijing and Dandong, near the North Korean border, respectively.


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Meng Wanzhou

Judge refuses to remove Meng Wanzhou’s security guards, who are tasked with preventing her escape

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co. (centre), exits Supreme Court after a hearing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Friday. Meng’s request to loosen the bail terms set during her release from jail in 2018 has been rejected, a Canadian judge ruled on Friday, as she fights a US extradition case. Photo: Bloomberg

Huawei Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou, leaves her Vancouver home to attend British Columbia Supreme Court, in Vancouver, Canada, on January 29, 2021. (Photo by Don MacKinnon / AFP)

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves British Columbia Supreme Court with her husband, Liu Xiaozong, during a break from a hearing in Vancouver, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Meng, who is free on bail while fighting extradition to the U.S., is seeking to have the terms of her release conditions changed. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

China demanded Meng Wanzhou’s return after bullets were sent to her Vancouver home, says security chief

Huawei Technologies chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou arrives at Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Meng Wanzhou, left, chief financial officer of Huawei, and an unidentified woman return to B.C. Supreme Court after a break from a hearing, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Meng, who is free on bail while fighting extradition to the U.S., is seeking to have the terms of her release conditions changed. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou leaves her home in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Meng, who is free on bail while fighting extradition to the U.S., is seeking to have the terms of her release conditions changed. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Boeing 777 was chartered to fly Meng Wanzhou home, Canada court hears as she seeks to have bail relaxed

Meng Wanzhou and her husband, Liu Xiaozong, during a break from a court hearing in Vancouver, British Columbia, on December 9, 2020. Photo: AP

VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 17: Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou exits her vehicle at her home after her court appearance on January 17, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. The United States government accused Wanzhou of fraud after HSBC continued trade with Iran while sanctions were in place. Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, centre, leaves British Columbia Supreme Court during a break from a hearing, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, wears a GPS ankle monitor as she leaves her home to attend a hearing at British Columbia Supreme Court, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 20: Members of the media stand outside the home of Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou as they wait for her to leave for a court appearance on the first day of her extradition trial on January 20, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. The United States government accused Wanzhou of fraud after HSBC continued trade with Iran while sanctions were in place. Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

After weeks of courtroom drama, curtain falls on witness phase of Meng Wanzhou extradition battle

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves the Supreme Court of British Columbia on Friday during a break from a hearing in Vancouver. Photo: AP

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, returns to B.C. Supreme Court with her husband Liu Xiaozong, following a break from her hearing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Senior Canadian border officer denies destroying Meng Wanzhou documents, rejecting concealment claims

Meng Wanzhou leaves the Supreme Court of British Columbia with her husband, Liu Xiaozong, during a break from a hearing in Vancouver on Thursday. Photo: AP

Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, centre, returns to British Columbia Supreme Court after a break from a hearing, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves her home to attend a hearing at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

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Meng’s lawyers had argued that the guards put her at risk of catching Covid-19
She wanted to roam Vancouver unaccompanied, but the request was denied by a judge who called her current restrictions the minimum needed to prevent her escape



Meng’s lawyers had argued that the guards put her at risk of catching Covid-19.


Judge refuses to remove Meng Wanzhou’s security guards, who are tasked with preventing her escape

Meng’s lawyers had argued that the guards put her at risk of catching Covid-19 She wanted to roam Vancouver unaccompanied, but the request was denied by a judge who called her current restrictions the minimum needed to prevent her escape

Meng’s lawyers had argued that the guards put her at risk of catching Covid-19

She wanted to roam Vancouver unaccompanied, but the request was denied by a judge who called her current restrictions the minimum needed to prevent her escape