Chief financial officer of Huawei is accusing Canadian authorities. Reports said that her rights were violated. She had been detained on behalf of the US government.
A civil lawsuit was filed by Meng Wanzhou in Canada. She was alleging that she was unlawfully detained and questioned for three hours without being thought out of the constitutional rights. She also pointed out that her luggage and electronic equipment were illegally searched before she was even told that she was under arrest, according to the NY Times.
The lawyers of Meng, who is also the Huawei's billionaire founder daughter, filed the lawsuit last Friday. She then made the documents available for journalist last Sunday. She is probing punitive damages and costs. The claims related to Meng's arrest at Vancouver International Airport on December 1.
The alleged illegal detention of one of the top tech executives of China, at the request of the US government, sparked a political firestorm. In China, a lot of people see her arrest as a political move by the administration under Trump. It has been said that it is an influence in the clash between the two said countries over trade and technology.
The lawsuit has revealed that Meng has been stopped by the officers from the Canada Border Services Agency after she got off the flight Hong Kong. She was told to surrender all her electronic devices. It includes two personal cellphones, a personal computer, and an iPad.
The officers later asked for the passwords of her devices. Meng surrendered as she believed that she does not have a choice. The officials allegedly "intentionally failed to advise her of the true reasons for her detention, her right to counsel, and her right to silence."
Huawei is one of the world's largest telecommunications equipment and one of the biggest smartphone brands alongside Apple and Samsung. The Chinese company plays a major role in the next generation of wireless technology or 5G networks. Thus, it was alleged to poses a national threat. As the United States long been attentive of the brand. As it is allegedly pressuring allies to limit the company's participation in 5G networks, according to CNN.
Washington says that Beijing could use the company's equipment to spy on other nation, in relevance to Huawei's ties to the Chinese government. However, there is no specific evidence provided to back up the allegations. Thus, the tech company denies that any of its products pose national security risks. The tech giant also mentioned that they will refuse any request by Beijing to use them for espionage.
